


Volleyball Soul

by GloomysShadow



Category: Haikyuu!!, InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:47:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 60,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27444379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GloomysShadow/pseuds/GloomysShadow
Summary: Kagome knew better than most that life was full of many twists and turns, but she wasn't expecting the spike that she received!
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome/Kuroo Tetsurou
Comments: 12
Kudos: 32





	1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to these characters.

* * *

_“Hey, Kago-chan?”_

_“Yeah?”_

_“When we get older, I’m gonna marry you!”_

_“Eh? Really, Tetsu-kun?”_

_“Yup! It’s a promise!”_

_“Ok!”_

~*~

‘Feels like ages ago when those words were spoken, I wonder sometimes why I keep holding on to them. How many years has it been now, nine…? I wonder how he is.’

Gazing out the window at the early morning sky above the branches of the Goshinboku, the raven-haired teen reflected on life and the many twists and turns it has taken. Remembering that when she was six years old, she had a best friend, a little boy whom she played with often. He was a year older than her and he was her protector, though he teased her daily claiming only he was allowed to do so. He promised her that he would marry her one day—foolish childhood promises, but she believed him whole heartedly.

A year later his family moved away, and he reiterated his promise with such determination on his young face. She had absolute faith that he would come back for her like those knights in the fairytales that she treasured because that was how those stories worked. Few weeks later…both her father and grandmother died in a car accident, and as a result her little family moved into the shrine with her grandfather.

‘With no way to let Tetsu-kun know where I’ve moved to. Yet I still hold that promise dear…’ She thought with a soft nostalgic smile on her face.

Her friends all thought that it was sweet yet crazy to hold onto a “childhood crush,” that she needed to move on. That Hojo-kun was right there waiting for her if she would just give him a chance, that he would be perfect for her given that he was the cutest guy in school.

‘They just couldn’t understand that regardless of the oath made to me by a seven-year-old… I would still have no interest in Hojo-kun. He’s just so, so BORING!’ Shaking her head in aggravation, she let out a sigh. ‘Then with that, the adventure down the well happened… six months of fearing for my life while making some amazing friends-’

“Kagome, you better head out soon or you’ll be late for school!”

She snapped out of her daze, and her blue eyes quickly darted to the mirror to look over her new uniform for what felt like the hundredth time that morning. Straightening the red bow at her neck, folding down the collar of the white blouse under the black sweater vest. Smoothing out her grey pleated skirt that stopped mid-thigh, and checked once again that there were no runs in her black tights.

‘Been around too many perverts to trust a short skirt,’ she smirked. She grabbed her school bag and her navy-blue uniform jacket from her desk, and ran down the stairs to the kitchen. ‘Please, kami-sama, please let today go well.’

“Do you have everything?” Ms. Higurashi asked while handing her daughter her bento, and piece of toast.

“I think so, mama. I’ve checked everything about three times now.” Kagome responded with a sheepish grin.

“Nervous about you first day of High School.”

“A little, I just want the first day to go smoothly.”

“I’m sure everything will be fine, dear. Now eat your toast, you don’t want to be late.”

“Hai.” Practically inhaling her breakfast, Kagome ran out the door with a wave. ‘Nekoma High School, here I come!’

* * *

Standing outside in front of his home, a young teen stood with his chin length black hair slightly blocking his view while looking down at his phone his hands. Fingers moving across the screen as he worked his way through the levels of the game that had his full attention, and occasionally reaching us to adjust the red stripped tie at his neck.

“Kenma, ready for your first day?”

He lifted his head to look over at the taller boy with messy spiked black hair with fringe on the right side covering one of his narrowed hazel eyes casually strolling up to him. With his navy-blue blazer thrown over one shoulder, revealing his black sweater vest and matching red stripped tie hanging a bit loose around his neck. The sleeves of his white button-down shirt rolled up to his elbows, showing his forearms. His other hand tucked into the pocket of his grey slacks.

“Kuroo, it’s just another day of school…” trailing off with a large eye watering yawn.

Raising a brow in suspicion at his younger friend, “You didn’t stay up all night playing video games, did you?”

Giving a not so discrete flinch, and revealing to his childhood friend that he did just that, Kuroo heaved a sigh. “Just don’t fall asleep on your feet today, we do have volleyball club today for new members. You _are_ joining the club, right?”

Nodding with a sigh, Kenma tucked his phone away in his school bag and followed Kuroo down the street.

“Looks like I’m going to have to keep a look out for your all-night gaming sessions. Can’t have Nekoma’s future starting setter turn into a zombie and waste away.” He stated with a calculated smirk.

‘…Crap…’ Kenma thought with a minor wince.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to these characters.

* * *

Kagome groaned in frustration as she stared down at the red score on the corner of the bane of her existence. ‘Math, it is _always_ math!’ The one subject frustrated and confused her, and even occasionally starred in her nightmares. She didn’t do too terribly on the quiz which was a good sign, but she knew that if she didn’t get a jump on this quick it would run for the mountains and leave her struggling desperately to catch up.

She heaved a sigh and steeled herself in the knowledge that she was going to need help, and fast before the subject matter became even more complicated. It was only the end of the second week, so she had time to wrangle the difficult formulas into submission. As the bell rang and students began to disperse for lunch, Kagome approached her Math teacher before she could leave the room.

“Excuse me, Murata-sensei?”

“Hai, Higurashi-san?” she asked with a smile.

Taking a deep breath, she forged ahead, “Ano, I’m sure that you’ve noticed that Math is not my strong suit… Is there someone I can ask to tutor me?”

“Kozume-san would be the best person to ask.”

“Thank you, Murata-sensei.”

She returned to her desk glad to have a plan of attack in the battle against her arch nemesis. She would not lose the long-standing war, and her potential savior was thankfully near. He sat directly behind her, so she could ask him for help when lunch as over and he came back from wherever he disappeared to. ‘I just hope he’ll be willing to help me…’

* * *

After meeting Kuroo outside for lunch, Kenma made his journey back to his desk in 1-4, and sat down with a small sigh. Two weeks into the new school year and Kuroo is at this point, keeping his promise to monitor Kenma’s late night gaming sessions. Kuroo seemed to call him at the most inconvenient moments of a level and Kenma was about to start checking his room for cameras at this rate. ‘What a drag…’ Letting out a deep breath, he knew he will have to concede defeat and start just turning off the games on his own at a decent time. ‘The one upside to this strategy, it will take some of the fun away from Kuroo. However, the major downside to the strategy is that he will take it as a win and gloat.’

“Excuse me, Kozume-san?”

Consumed by his thoughts of Kuroo’s impending victory, Kenma was startled to hear the soft voice of one of his classmates. Looking up at the source, he saw that it was the girl that sat in front of him, Higurashi Kagome, that called his attention. She was interesting compared to the rest of the class in the sense that he never felt like he could get a full read on her. The others were fairly easy, they were concerned about dating, who liked who, schoolwork, and what famous group was currently popular. Higurashi-san, as far as he could see, was popular due to her kindness and care that she showed towards their classmates. However, she also seemed to be somewhat disconnected from the rest in that she did not share the same interests, ‘She’s like an elder sibling in a room full of small children…’

Seeing her cerulean blue eyes looking directly at him, for that brief moment was more than he was really comfortable with. Quickly returning his view to the top of his desk, “Kenma.”

“I’m sorry?”

“I rather be called Kenma, Higurashi-san.”

“Ah! Then please call me Kagome.” Glancing at the gentle smile she gave him, he nodded in acceptance. “Kenma, I am struggling a bit with Math, and Murata-sensei said that you be the best one to help me. Would you be willing to tutor me when you have time?”

He kept his eyes down while he nodded in agreement, and realized something important. Kagome was really good at History, he remembered catching a glimpse of one of her scores on his way back to his desk after collecting his quiz from Moriyama-sensei. That was a subject he was having some difficulty with, if she would be willing to assist him in return, that would be beneficial.

“Thank you, Kenma!”

“Ano, Kagome…?”

“Hai?”

“Could you help me with History?”

She looked at him in surprise, then smiled at him once again, “I have a better idea.” Tilting his head in curiosity, wondering where her thought process was heading. “How about we be study partners? Sounds much better than tutors, don’t you think?”

His lips curled slightly, “I would like that.” They quickly exchanged phone numbers and planned for their first study session as the bell rang.

* * *

Kenma was not enjoying his high school volleyball club experience. He felt worn out, which he hated, and the third years were proving time and again that they were nothing more than bullies. How was this supposed to be a ‘team’ when they can’t really rely on one another? The third years either targeted him the most out of the club or purposely exiled him, and for what reason did they have for their behavior? Maybe they perceived him to be the weakest that needed to be culled from the group? This was more pressure than he wanted to endure, and he wasn’t sure how much more he could take.

He was grateful when practice was declared over, but the torment wouldn’t end there, it never did. “Clean faster first year or we can’t go home!” Was shouted at him as he ran across the gym with his arms full of volleyballs. Trying not to drop any of them before he reached the cart to place them in. In the corner of his eye he saw Kuroo frown in the direction of the third years, who were not exactly pulling their weight in the clean-up. They never did their share, and why should they? They saw themselves as the big and powerful upperclassmen. Being one to two years older than the rest of the club shouldn’t give someone the right to act so big.

Finally, the gym was cleaned and locked up, he and Kuroo quickly changed out of their practice gear and started to walk home.

“Don’t let them get to you Kenma.” Kuroo, only getting only a nod in response, heaved a deep sigh knowing it was best to change the subject. “How are your classes going?”

“Classes are fine, History is a challenge as usual.”

Looking down at his shorter friend, “Do you want me to help you study?”

Kenma moved his head back and forth slightly, “One of my classmates asked me if I wanted to be study partners. I’m going over to their house tomorrow morning so we can review for the tests that we have next week.”

Kuroo’s lips curled up, glad to hear that Kenma was branching out a bit. “Good.” Turning down the street of their neighborhood and they waved goodnight and entered their homes.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to these characters.

* * *

Kenma looked through his bag, making sure he had his textbooks and assignments that he was going to need that day. He and Kagome had tests in Math, History and Modern Japanese next week, so this study session would be great way to see how well they work together as study partners. Pulling out his phone to look at the address she sent him last night, he saw that she actually didn’t live that far from his house. He figured that it would take him about a 15-minute walk to get there. Going into the kitchen to eat breakfast, he waved goodbye to his parents as he headed out the door.

As he had suspected, it did not take him long to reach the street that Kagome lived on, but that was the least of his problems. Looking up at the large red torii gate that was marked ‘Higurashi Shrine,’ he could see what looked like a small mountain of stairs. Glancing down at the address Kagome sent him again, hoping that he was in the wrong place and that name was mere coincidence. He could feel the cold sweat form on the back of his neck when the address didn’t magically change. Kenma took a deep breath with a grimace and began the climb, he just hoped that he didn’t collapse on the way up.

* * *

Soft rhythmic scraping sounds broke the stillness of the morning as Kagome swept the walkways on the shrine grounds. As she fell into the well-practiced motions of her chores, her mind drifted to what needed to be done that day. She already prepared snacks for her study session with Kenma, and he should be arriving shortly. Coming to the top of the stairs and marking the end of her sweeping, she glanced down and saw a familiar head of black hair climbing the last ten steps.

“Ah, Good Morning Kenma!” She greeted with a smile.

Looking up at her with his golden eyes, and a little out of breath. “Good Morning, Kagome.”

“I see you found us ok.” She said while stepping aside slightly for him, “Sorry, I forgot to warn you about the stairs.”

Taking a couple deep breaths with his hands on his knees before straightening up. “It was actually not as bad as I thought it would be.” Maybe all the extra laps that the third years made him do actually helped somewhat, though he would still prefer that they didn’t target him the way that they did.

Kagome gave him a gentle smile, and motioned him to follow her further onto the grounds. “The house is back this way. I just need to drop off this broom in the storage shed along the way.”

Trailing half a step behind her, Kenma looked around the shine and felt like he just stepped back in time. There was something about the area, a feeling that he was having trouble naming. He’s been to shrines and temples before, but this was different somehow. There was an agelessness that echoed around him, and he felt safe instead of overwhelmed. “It feels peaceful here.”

Smiling back at him, Kagome hummed in agreement. “This shrine has been in my family’s care for about 500 years.” She pointed up ahead at the giant tree with a thick hemp rope around it and across the courtyard there was a shack that had an almost eerie air about it. “That tree is the Goshinboku, and the small building there is the well house where the Bone-Eaters Well resides. Both have been on the grounds since before the shrine was built. The Goshinboku has been said to be about 1,000 years old, though that isn’t for certain. The Bone-Eaters Well is a dry well and is closed off to visitors because it can be dangerous and we don’t want anyone to accidently fall in.”

Stopping outside the storage shed, Kenma couldn’t help but think that this might be one of the reasons why Kagome seemed to excel in History. “Ano, Kagome? Why is the well called the ‘Bone-Eaters Well’?”

Kagome paused while opening the door to the shed and looked at him with a smirk, “That would be because in the past, people would throw the bones of youkai into the well and the bones would disappear.” Then with that unnerving note, she disappeared into the shed.

Kenma’s eyes widened a bit and looked warily over at the shack thinking that that definitely explained the name. “So, you’re the study partner that Kagome-nee-san said was coming over.” Kenma blinked in surprise at the sudden voice, and slowly looked down at the boy that appeared near him.

* * *

Kagome finished placing the broom back in its place and made sure that it wouldn’t topple over and cause a mess. Hearing Souta voice from outside, she turned towards the door of the shed and headed outside just in time to hear, “Wanna go play some video games?” Finding that the two boys hadn’t noticed her return; she saw a grin stretch across her little brother’s face and a glint of interest in Kenma’s eyes that she’d never seen. Seeing that she now had not just one video game enthusiast on her hands but two, she knew that she needed to stop them before they made their escape.

“And where do you two think you are going?” Looking at the frozen looks on their faces forced her to fight to keep the stern look on her face. She raised an eyebrow at the two, “Kenma you and I need to study. Souta, go get your homework and bring it down. If Mama finds out that you played your video games without finishing your work, she’ll skin you alive and then make you clean up the mess.”

Biting the inside of her cheek at the disappointed and pale faces before her, she finally relented and gave into the smile she was holding back. “After we all finish our schoolwork, _then_ the two of you can run off into gamer-land.” Receiving dual looks of excitement, the trio heading into the house to tackle their studies.

Kenma and Kagome worked diligently on reviewing for their tests until they were both confident in the subjects. They then discussed a game plan for studying during the week up to the day of the exams. It would be hard for them to meet after school with Kenma’s club obligations, so they figured it would be best for them to review more during homeroom and lunch. Kagome then checked on Souta’s progress with his assignments, and confirmed that he was finished.

She paused for a few moments while glancing and the hopeful duo, “Ok, you two are free.” Releasing the giggles that had built up in her chest as she watched the boys scurried off to Souta’s room. She stood up while shaking her head and started straightening up the table, “I hope they remember to blink occasionally.”


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to these characters.

* * *

It was finally the end of the week, and Kenma and Kagome were sitting in class reviewing for the remaining test that they had. The two were feeling confident so far with how the first two tests went, but the last thing that they wanted was to become too confident. Once they finished reviewing, they decided to take a break for the rest of the hour.

“Kagome, what are you doing for Golden Week? Working at the shrine?” Kenma tilted his head in curiosity.

“Yeah, we have a small festival on the grounds every year, so I’ll be helping set up. You’re doing a training camp with your club right? That should be fun!” Kagome looked at him with a grin.

“Ah…I’m not really looking forward to it.” Kenma saw the look of confusion on her face at his response and looked down before saying more. “The third years are bullies. They enjoy pushing the underclassmen around, barking orders, and such...”

Kagome frowned, she never did like bullies, and she had a sense that there was more to the story than Kenma was verbalizing. Thinking about what she had observed of him, she had a feeling that he might be the target a fair amount and that did not sit well with her. “Kenma, I know that I don’t know everything that is going on, and we may not know each other very well. So, I’m not sure if it’ll help…but allow me to impart a little bit of advice.”

Kenma looked up in curiosity and gave her a nod.

Giving him a small warm smile, “I have been bullied multiple times over the years, even by someone who _could_ have become a great friend. So, it took me a long time to make this realization and to put it into practice.” She took a deep breath before continuing, “I learned that the only way someone can make you feel small or inferior is if you _allow_ them to. Bullies _try_ to make you feel tiny so that they can feel bigger than they are, and usually that’s because in some way _they_ feel small themselves.”

Kenma’s eyes narrowed in surprise, it was somewhat hard for him to believe that Kagome was ever picked on. She was really nice, and people seemed to flock to her. Though that could possibly explain why she also held them at a bit of a distance. “A potential friend bullied you? Why?”

Her eyes fogged over a bit in memory, “I met him last year. Short explanation, I was pulled out of my last year of Middle School and homeschooled. There was an opportunity to get into a training program to learn more about being a miko and what all that it entailed during ancient times.” She smirked to herself. It may not be the full truth, but it was one way to put being pulled into the past. “The program included more than just learning to be a miko, and that’s how I met him. Yasha was strong physically, loud, abrasive, and had a fairly rotten childhood growing up. We probably would have gotten along much better if it wasn’t for the fact that I apparently looked very similar to his old girlfriend. It was then he decided to let me know just how much I didn’t measure up to her. I wasn’t as pretty, or as graceful, or as strong as her. I was a useless, weak, and ‘poor copy’ of someone that I didn’t even know.”

She shook her head remembering those days, the pain and confusion that she felt when those words pierced her mind. “At first the verbal attacks he doled out hurt a lot, but I was never _trying_ to be her nor was I trying to compete with her. Once I solidified to myself that there was no competition, that I was myself and no one else, his words didn’t hurt anymore. I was able to complete the program and keep things peaceful between us at the end.”

Kenma was silent as he thought about what she had told him, “You said that you had been bullied over the years… There were other times as well?”

She nodded with a smirk, “Yeah, there was one other time when I was in elementary school. I was small for my age, so that made me a prime target for bullies. However, I had a friend when I was little that acted as my protector. He was a year older and a bit taller than the others in his class, so that helped make the bullies back off.” She said with a fond smile, “He liked to say that he was the only one who could tease me, and he took great joy in poking fun at my height. It would irritate me to no end.”

“What happened to him?” Kenma asked, figuring that there had to be a reason why this protector wasn’t there for her when this ‘Yasha’ character was around.

“He moved away.” She replied while looking out the window. “I haven’t seen him in years, and while it hurt that he had to leave, it taught me to stand on my own. I still have hope that I’ll run into him again.”

She looked at Kenma with a mischievous grin breaking the somber air around them, “It would be poetic justice if I wound up being taller than him or at least the same height when we meet again.”

Kenma smiled a bit in return, “You’re only 5’3” Kagome. You really think that there’s a chance that you’ve surpassed him when he was apparently taller than everyone in his class? The odds don’t seem to be in your favor there.”

Cringing dramatically with her hand over her heart, “Let a girl dream a bit Kenma!” She laughed and shook her head with a sigh, “No, with my luck he’ll be about 5’8” and still be smug about the height difference.”

Enjoying the light banter, Kenma didn’t want to leave things there, “What if he’s taller than that? There are some guys in the Volleyball Club that are over 6 feet tall, my best friend included.”

Kagome paled a bit, looked at him with a glint of horrified humor in her eyes and groaned, “If he winds up being 6’ or taller, then all the kami-sama _hate_ me!”

* * *

Kuroo and Kenma were walking home after having had just a short meeting with the Volleyball Club after school. The plan was everyone would meet at the school Saturday morning with their bags and gear. They would be staying at the school and practice in the gym all week to begin their preparations for the Inter-High Preliminaries. After the Golden Week training camp, they would begin having training weekends with the other 3 schools in the Kanto region.

Kuroo knew that Kenma had been concerned about the whole staying near the third years for a week during training, and he shared his concern. The current third years were jerks when they were second years, and now they were even worse. There wasn’t a good reason for their attitudes, and they weren’t the strongest players in the club by a long shot. However, without a coach or any kind of present authority figure for when practices were in session, the third years happily took control. ‘Absolute power, corrupts absolutely.’ Kuroo thought grimly. ‘Hell, if we had a manager then _maybe_ things with the third years would be better.’

Looking over at his silent friend, “You want to meet in front of your house in the morning as usual tomorrow?”

Kenma glanced up at him and nodded with a small smile in agreement. “That sounds fine.”

“So how did your tests go?” Kuroo was curious as to if Kenma felt like his study sessions have been successful. “I’ve noticed that I haven’t had to interrupt your evening gaming sessions lately.” Kuroo added with a smug grin.

Kenma sighed at his friend feeling slightly put out. He was going to have to be wary of Kagome and Kuroo ever meeting. She was fair but scary and seemed to rule with an iron fist, though he has yet to see the worst of it if Souta was to be believed. Kuroo on the other hand was just plain devious when it came to interrupting his gaming sessions. At least he didn’t live in the same house as one of them, Souta had his sympathies in that regards.

“I feel like they went well, the questions on the History test felt easier to answer than they were on the previous quizzes. I also have been making sure to stop my games at a decent time. You were being a pain.”

Kuroo was cackling, as they approached their homes. He ran his hand through his already messy hair is smug satisfaction. “I’m glad that your tests went well. See you in the morning,” and with a wave the two went inside.

Kuroo slipped off his shoes in the entryway, and greeted his parents on his way to his room. Placing his school bag on his desk, he then turned to his bed and dropped his sports bag on top of it. Pulling open the zipper, he began to sift through the contents and pulled out his practice clothes and towel. Gathering the items in his hands, he paused briefly to smile at the picture on his nightstand.

There within the image his arms thrown out to his sides, eyes wide and his seven-year-old face frozen in shock as he tried not to fall over. On his back was a six-year-old girl with raven hair, her arms wrapped around his neck, her face next to his with her eyes closed as she laughed at literally getting the jump on him. ‘She always was good at getting revenge…’

After reminiscing about that day, he then turned and headed out of his room to the laundry room. ‘Where are you Kago-chan?’


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to these characters.

* * *

Golden Week breezed by in a blink for many of the students of Nekoma High School, however the underclassmen of the Volleyball Club would disagree to an extent. Kuroo was sitting in his class during lunch, reflecting over their so-called ‘training camp’ that they just had. The more he thought about it, the more he was growing frustrated and concerned about the third years’ attitudes. He was worried that they would drive Kenma to leaving the club, which would be detrimental to the team and its future. Though he had to admit, it seemed that Kenma handled their bullying tactics a bit better than he had before.

Kuroo’s eye narrowed and his fists clenched in aggravation. Regardless of who was on the receiving end of the third years’ behavior, and how well they were dealing with it. It should _not_ be happening _period_ , and no matter how many times he tried to block Kenma and the other first year members from the upperclassmen’s sights they were like vultures.

Which was an ironic image given that they were supposed to be cats. However, this was not ‘playing with their prey’ as a cat would, this was ‘looking for a carcass to pick at’ and they had their targets marked. It’s why he couldn’t keep trying to provoke the upperclassmen so that they directed their attention on himself and not the others. They just wouldn’t be deterred for long; it was frustrating and he also couldn’t provoke them too much or they would be even nastier to everyone. Quite simply put, they needed some kind of authority figure that the third years _couldn’t_ lord over.

Their club’s temporary sponsor was incredibly useless in reigning in the third years so that wasn’t an option at this point. They only poked their head in here and there as a part of their obligation, Kuroo could only hope that a permanent sponsor would be appointed soon. ‘Something needs to change and soon. If not, then we’re all going to need to hang on until the end of the term. Then the third years will retire and we can finally start becoming the team we should be.’

Shaking his head, he looked at the clock and saw that lunch was almost over. Packing up his empty bento, Kuroo began trying to figure out some kind of scheme to help the club survive.

* * *

As the days in the week passed, Kuroo had a lot on his mind. Yesterday was another rough day in the club, and Kenma along with a few of the other members were pushed almost to their limits in regards to their tolerance. Looking out the window, he couldn’t help but reflect on what happened…

_At the end of practice, he and Kenma walked to the river and sat down looking at the sunset. Turning his head towards his younger friend, Kuroo could tell that Kenma was contemplating his future in the club._

_“You’re a keen observer and everything you suggest makes sense.”_

_Kenma was silent with his knees to his chest and his head resting on his arms. He frowned in frustration then said, “I don’t wanna say anything. Every time I do, the third years tell me not to have a smart mouth. Then they made me run almost twice as much as the other rookies!”_

_Kuroo heaved a sigh, “Those third years are all going to retire from the club soon, and rumor has it that Coach Nekomata may be returning… So don’t quit on me ok? The third years may not have a clue, but the first and second years know how good you are. You’ll be a big asset to the team. I_ know _you will.”_

_When he didn’t respond a for a moment, Kuroo began to worry that Kenma was unwilling to hold on any longer. Then he heard a whisper, “The only way someone can make you feel small or inferior is if you_ allow _them to…”_

_He was surprised to hear those words from his childhood friend, especially since it sounded like he wasn’t saying that to Kuroo directly. It was more like he was reciting something that he heard to himself._

_Kenma looked over at him with a barely there smile on his face, “Something that a friend said to me over a week ago...”_

The chime of the bell snapped Kuroo’s attention back to the present. Taking a deep breath, and feeling glad that it was Friday and classes were now done for the day. He glanced down at the new bane of his existence, there on his desk were the instructions for a new project. Normally he wouldn’t stress too much over something like this, but he had a feeling that Matsumoto-sensei was in a particularly evil mood when he dreamt up this one.

‘I may have several weeks before the due date, but with the Inter-High Preliminaries coming up and all the training weekends we are going to start having… If I don’t start this now, I’ll have a hell of a time finishing on time.’ He ran his hand through his hair in frustration and gathered up his things.

* * *

Kuroo and Kenma were finally heading home after practice, and surprisingly their upperclassmen had not focused their unpleasant attitudes on the first and second years, but on each other. A nice turnaround for once.

“I wonder what caused the third years to rip into each other the way that they did today?” Kuroo wondered.

“Apparently, the captain attempted to put the moves on some girl and was brutally shut down. The others saw the whole exchange.”

Kuroo blinked in surprise, and a Cheshire-cat-like grin spread across his face in smug satisfaction. “So ‘Mr.-I-can-get-any-girl’ was soundly rejected, eh?” He then proceeded to chuckle with glee. “I wish I could have seen it!”

Kenma raised a brow at his friend’s amusement, but couldn’t help grinning a bit himself. Normally he wouldn’t condone such a reaction, however in this case, it really couldn’t have happened to a better person. Then he remembered that Kuroo looked a little stressed when he arrived at practice earlier.

“Ano, Kuroo?”

“Ah?”

“You looked a little stressed out before practice today. Is everything all right?”

Kuroo groaned in remembrance of his project that he needed to try to get a jump start on. “I have a project that was assigned today, and it’s going to be an irritant I know it.”

Glancing up at his friend in confusion, “What’s the assignment?”

“We have to find a legend, and write about the beginning of it. Which means chances are that later we will be assigned to write about the rest of the tale.” Kuroo said with a frown.

Feeling even more confused, Kenma was starting to think that he wasn’t getting the full picture. “Ano, why would writing about a legend be irritating? Sounds fairly simple.”

“The problem is, is that with the assignment came a list of legends that we could _not_ report on. Which of course were _all_ the more well-known ones, so we have to find an obscure legend.” Rubbing the back of his neck, Kuroo looked up at the darkening sky.

Kenma froze in the middle of the sidewalk, causing Kuroo to pause and look back at him in concern. “Kenma?”

Looking up at Kuroo, Kenma grimaced a bit. He was a little nervous about the two meeting, but he wanted to help Kuroo out and he kind of owed him for all the help he provided him with his assignments in the past. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, opening the current text conversation he had with her. Typing a quick inquiry about if he could bring Kuroo with him tomorrow to their study session, mentioning the assignment that Kuroo had and needed help with. Finishing the message, he looked it over and pushed send. He just hoped that she would be able to get back to him soon.

“Kenma, what are you doing?” Kuroo asked again.

“Texting your potential savior.” Kenma paused looking up at Kuroo’s baffled expression, and before he could continue his phone gave a chime. Seeing that he got a response, Kenma opened the message to read the confirmation for the adjustment in their plans. “My study partner lives on a shrine, and they have a variety of legends that you could possibly use for your assignment. She said that she would be happy to help you, so you’ll come with me tomorrow morning. Knowing her, she’ll insist that we get our studying done first so bring your homework. Afterwards she’ll help you with choosing a legend.”

“Really?” Kuroo was stunned, here he was sure that he was going to have to either go live in the library for a while or run from shrine to shrine to find what he needed. Instead Kenma offers up a solution that just saved him hours of work. Observing the nod of confirmation that he received from Kenma, he felt relief wash over him. Then a sly and curious grin began to stretch across Kuroo’s face as he leaned down closer to Kenma, “Your study partner is a girl? What’s her name? And does Kenma maybe have a crush that I don’t know about?”

Kenma gave him a deadpanned look, “No I don’t have a crush on her, she’s more like an older sibling, and her name is Kagome.” Kuroo blinked and felt his spine straighten at the name, triggering an old memory of a little girl with big blue eyes and wide smile that he still had hopes of finding. He was jolted back as Kenma’s voice continued, “My new game has arrived, so I need to go pick it up. See you in the morning Kuroo.”

“Yeah, see you in the morning.” Kuroo waved, and continued his trek home. ‘Stop getting your hopes up, it’s probably not her…’ Taking in a deep breath before releasing it, he looked up and couldn’t help but think, ‘But… what if _this_ time is different?’


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to these characters.

* * *

Kuroo woke up that morning, slightly confused as to why his alarm was going off on a Saturday until he remembered that he was meeting Kenma in a couple hours. As he stumbled to the bathroom with a yawn, he went through the motions of his morning routine while thinking about the irony that Kenma’s new friend had the same name as his old one. Shaking those thoughts out of his head and returning to his room to throw on a black shirt and a pair of loose cargo shorts.

He then grabbed his laptop and placed it in his school bag to take with him for the study session. After double checking that he had everything that he needed, he glanced at the picture by his bed, and then headed to the kitchen for breakfast.

Once he finished eating breakfast, he looked at the time and saw that he needed to head outside and meet Kenma. Quickly washing his dishes and waving goodbye to his parents, he slipped on his shoes and was out the door. Seeing that Kenma was just exiting his home, he wandered over to him.

“So, where do we go?” Kuroo inquired after greeting him.

Kenma turned in the direction that they needed to go, “The shrine is about a 15-minute walk from here.”

As the two approached the stairs, Kuroo’s steps stuttered to a halt as Kenma began climbing the stairs. Kenma stopped and looked back once he realized that Kuroo was no longer next to him. “Kuroo?”

Kuroo was staring up at the torii gate with his eyes glued to the sign that said, ‘Higurashi Shrine.’ Hearing Kenma call his name, he snapped is eyes back to his friend to see the questioning look on his face. “Sorry, that’s just a lot of stairs.” He covered with a small grin.

Kenma nodded, “It shocked me too at first. Come on.”

Kuroo took a deep breath and shook his head as he started after Kenma. ‘It’s just a coincidence…’

Both were slightly out of breath once they reached the top, Kenma more so than Kuroo. Kenma caught his breath and then started leading Kuroo to the back of the shrine grounds where the house was located.

They only got about ten steps away from the stairs when they came across an old man in priest robes. “Good morning, Kenma. Who’s your friend?”

“Good morning, Higurashi-san. This is my friend Kuroo, he’s here to join mine and Kagome’s study session today.” Kenma replied with a bow.

“Good morning, Higurashi-san.” Kuroo bowed.

The older man grinned in return, “Good morning.” He looked closely at Kuroo as if he was searching for something. “You look familiar…”

Kuroo looked at him in confusion, but before he could say anything another voice called out. “Kenma!” The three turned to see a young boy running across the courtyard towards them. Coming to a stop in front of them and bouncing in place, “Kenma, that tip you gave me worked! I was finally able to pass level 45!”

Kenma gave a small smile to the boy, “I’m glad to hear it.”

The elder Higurashi chuckled and wandered off saying, “I’ll leave you two in Souta’s capable hands.”

“See you later, Grandpa!” Souta waved and turned back to the two teenagers. “Hey Kenma, is this your friend that Kagome-onee-san said that you were bringing?”

“Ah. Souta this is my best friend Kuroo Tetsurou. Kuroo this is Souta, Kagome’s younger brother.”

“Hello.” Kuroo said with a smile.

“Hi! Wow, you’re really tall! Are you in the Volleyball Club with Kenma?” Souta fired off in excitement.

Kuroo laughed, “Yeah, I’m in the Volleyball Club. I’m a middle blocker.”

“Cool!” Souta then paused and looked closely at Kuroo’s face. “Hey you know you look like the kid in the picture that nee-san has in her room…”

Feeling even more confused and suspicious, Kuroo was once again cut off before he could open his mouth and ask for clarification.

“Souta, did you finish helping Grandpa already?” A voice called out from one of the nearby buildings.

“Hai, nee-san. Kenma and his friend Kuroo are here.” He responded.

Seeing a figure exit the building and turn to close the door. Kuroo could see that she had a petite frame encased in a long-sleeved navy-blue shirt and a pair of form hugging tan capris that stopped just below her knees. Her long raven colored hair was tied back in a French braid that ended in the middle of her back. As she turned towards them her head was tilted slightly downward so that her bangs covered her eyes.

“Hey nee-san! Kuroo looks a lot like that kid in the picture that you have in your room!” Souta told her once she was close.

Kuroo watched as she stopped mid-step and when her head turned to him, he swore that everything stopped when his eyes connected with blue. As her eyes widened in shock there was one name that passed her lips that he hadn’t heard for nine years, “Tetsu-kun?”

“No way… Kago-chan?” He took a step closer to her, looking down into her face and seeing the echoes of the young cherubic face that she once possessed. ‘She really grew into a beauty, just like I figured she would.’

Kagome was shocked to see her childhood friend in front of her for the first time in years. Her mouth kept opening and closing, but nothing would come out. ‘Dang it, Kagome say something!’ she shouted at herself as words refused to form on her tongue.

Seeing her frozen and unable to speak, Kuroo decided to give her a nudge. Smirking down at her with his hands on his hips, “Hey Kago-chan, you were always tiny when we were kids, but now you’re pocket sized!”

Kagome was stunned as his words penetrated her brain, but it was enough to push her into action. As her face reddened and sparks flew in her eyes, she stomped closer to poke her finger in his chest, “P-pocket sized!? Who are you calling ‘pocket sized,’ you over grown Rooster Head?!”

She hasn’t seen the jerk in nine years and he just had to go after her height. ‘Great, since Kenma’s friend and Tetsu-kun are one and the same, that means he’s over six feet tall. The smug jerk will _never_ let this go!’

“Oi! Leave my hair out of this, Pocket-Kago-chan!” he replied with a twitch of his brow.

“How can I leave that mess out of this when it looks like it could start crowing at any moment? It’s called a hairbrush, Rooster Head, you may want to try _using_ one some time!” She retaliated sticking her tongue out at him and then quickly jabbed her hand into his side.

Kuroo’s eyes widened in shock and flinched away from her while grabbing the side she just abused. He broke out laughing, it had been years since they’ve seen each other and they easily fell into old habits. Straightening up from his hunched position a few moments later and he looked at her frowning face and could see the humor dancing in those cerulean blues that he missed dearly. He reaching out to her with a softer smile, he grabbed her arm and tugged her closer. He enfolded her into a tight hug as she let loose a squeak of surprise. Resting his cheek on the top of her head, “I missed you, Kago-chan.”

She froze for half a second before melting into his hold with a watery smile and wrapped her arms around his waist and griped the back of his shirt. “I missed you too, Tetsu-kun.”

* * *

Kenma and Souta stood off to the side and watched the spectacle unfold before them in confusion. “I guess he’s the old friend that nee-san talked about.” Souta muttered.

“And she’s the old friend that Kuroo was looking for…” Kenma responded.

“Huh, small world.” Souta said scratching his head. Then his eyes nearly popped out of his head when he heard Kuroo tell his sister that she was ‘pocket sized.’ Souta immediately slapped his hands over his mouth to contain the snort of laughter that wanted to escape, and looked up at Kenma to see him bite his lip in humor.

Once he got his laughter under control Souta observed his sister closely, “You know, I’ve never seen anyone get under her skin and fluster her that easily. She’s not even angry just a little irritated, but mostly she’s enjoying the banter.” Seeing Kenma turn to him in askance he explained, “Nee-san has a temper, but in the past year she gained a lot of patience so it doesn’t rear its head much. It’s near impossible for people to get under her skin because she just brushed off anything that they said.”

“Kuroo is known as an expert in provocation, but I haven’t seen many turn it around on him that fast.” Kenma smiled a bit as he watched Kagome jab her hand in Kuroo’s side.

The two watched the pair before them for another second, “Hey Kenma, I got a new game the other day. Wanna go check it out while they’re distracted?” Souta whispered with a grin. The two glanced in caution and turned around and started for the house.

They didn’t make it far before they felt an icy aura slowly wrap around them that screamed ‘danger,’ causing the duo to freeze. “Oi… just where do you two think you are going?” They heard Kagome’s monotone voice call out, slowly turning their heads back to the reunited pair. Kuroo had lifted his head from Kagome’s and he was looking a bit nervously down at the top of her head. Kagome removed her head from its resting place on his chest and slowly turned to look at both Kenma and Souta over her shoulder.

Souta, seeing that blank deadpanned expression on his sister’s face, knew that he needed to act fast or the ‘diabolical tyrant’ inside her would make an appearance. “We were just going to give you two some space! So, we’re going to go start our homework while we waited for you guys to join us?” He managed to squeak out with a nervous laugh. Kenma decided to follow Souta’s lead and nod in agreement.

Kagome raised a skeptical brow, “Is that so?” Seeing their emphatic nods, she pulled out of Kuroo’s arms and fully turned to the pair. “You lie poorly, Souta-chan.” She grinned as she watched her brother pale even further with a flinch as she approached them while holding Kuroo’s hand.

“Well lets all go get our work done then, shall we?” She said while leading everyone to the house.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to these characters.

* * *

As the four worked diligently through their coursework, Kuroo felt his eyes drift towards Kagome off and on. He couldn’t believe that she was sitting right next to him after all these years. Seeing how she kept the gamer duo corralled and prodded them to complete their tasks brought a grin to his face. Not many can rope Kenma in line, he was a slippery one when he wanted to be, and it seemed that her little brother was cut from the same cloth.

She obviously had grown from the shy little girl that he once knew, the one who had an iron will and a spine of steel that she hid from the world. Now those traits that she rarely showed to anyone was on full display, and there was a confidence that radiated from her now that drew him in even more. He couldn’t help but wonder what brought those changes about, and what else had changed since he had seen her last.

As they all finished their assignments, Kenma and Souta looked to Kagome with a clear question in their eyes. Kuroo leaned back in his chair and watched the byplay unfold before him. Kagome took her time checking that her little brother finished his work and then proceeded to look on silently. Kuroo could feel a grin begin to stretch across his face as he observed Kagome stare down the other two and they began to shift anxiously in their seats. Their eyes begging that she grant them mercy and release them from their torment.

Finally, Kagome released a sigh, “All right, you may go.” With that the two stood up and practically ran up the stairs. Disappearing from sight as if afraid that if they didn’t lock themselves away quickly, she would revoke the permission she gave. Shaking her head with a grin, she turned to Kuroo, “Did you want to take a break before we get started on your project, Tetsu-kun?”

Stretching his arms over his head briefly, before giving her a smile. “Yeah, just a quick one. The sooner I get that done, the sooner we can catch up.” Seeing her nod in agreement, she stood up saying that she would make them some more tea. “Hey Kago-chan? Where’s your bathroom?” He asked while starting to stand.

“It’s up the stairs, to the right of Souta’s bedroom. His door has a sign with his name on it so you can’t miss it.” She replied.

Following her directions, Kuroo climbed the stairs and found Souta’s bedroom door and located the bathroom with ease. Just as he was about to open the door he heard, “So Kuroo is the reason why my nee-san refused do date anyone, eh?” He knew that he shouldn’t, but this was information that he just _couldn’t_ let slip him by.

“What do you mean?” He heard Kenma ask.

“Well, I over heard nee-san and three of her friends from Junior High talking once during their first year. They were trying to get nee-san to go out with some guy in their class. When she refused, they asked her why. According to them the guy was the _cutest_ boy in school, so she should be _dying_ for the chance to date him. Nee-san said that a childhood friend made her a promise, so she was waiting for him.”

Kuroo felt a grin creep across his face, this was good news for him.

“A promise?”

“Yeah. I don’t know what the promise was, but honestly nee-san would have turned that Hojo guy down regardless. He wasn’t the brightest crayon in the box.” Souta said in a deadpanned tone.

“You didn’t like him I take it.”

“He’s nice and all, but _super_ gullible. He fell for Grandpa’s tall tales _every_ time. In fact, I think Grandpa was starting to run out of ideas to trick him with!”

Kuroo had to restrain a snicker at that bit of information. ‘I knew there was something that I liked about Higurashi-san!’

“That and no matter how many times nee-san told him that she didn’t want to date him, he apparently kept thinking that she was just being shy or not feeling well that day.”

Now he was feeling irritated and wondering how he was going to deal with that fool if he came around again. ‘He had better not be attending Nekoma…’ He thought with a twitch.

“Really?”

Feeling as if he had eavesdropped enough, Kuroo shook his head with a grin and headed into the bathroom. As he began his journey back down the stairs, he could feel the makings of several plans forming in his brain.

* * *

Walking into the kitchen, he saw that Kagome was just finishing with the tea and getting ready to sit down at the table. She looked up at him as he started to sit back down and smiled.

“So, let’s take a look at this assignment of yours.”

Kuroo dug out the instructions out of his bag and handed it over to her, watching as she quickly read over everything. She turned her head to him with a brow raised, “What did you guys do to irritate your sensei for him to dream this up?”

Frowning down at the paper in question, “As far as I know, nothing.”

“Are you sure?”

Kuroo looked back at her and frowned when he saw the skeptical look she was directing at him. “Oi! I may enjoy provoking people, but I’m not stupid enough to provoke Matsumoto-sensei.”

With a giggle, she brought up her hands to wave off the scowl he was giving her. “All right, all right. I believe you.” She took a pause to think a moment, “We have several legends here at the shrine that you could use, but it sounds like he’s looking more for an epic and this is only part one of your assignment.”

Kuroo felt himself sink into his chair with a groan, “I kind of suspected that.”

Kagome nodded in return, “Granted you could probably try to stretch out a smaller legend to suit the overall project, but it would be difficult and possibly take a lot of time and work.”

Now he could feel the walls closing in around him. His life outside of school and volleyball was doomed, not that he really had much of a life outside of those. He could faintly hear her voice penetrate his newfound dark world, “Luckily for you, we _have_ a legend that spans several centuries that would work for you.”

“Wait. What?” Blinking several times, he whipped his head towards her in hope. “Why didn’t you say so _before_?”

Kagome blinked at him, “I did, you just jumped into mope-mode before I could finish.”

Kuroo wasn’t sure if she was doing this on purpose and being sneaky about it, or just being honest. He took a breath and decided to simply forge ahead, “So what’s the legend?”

“It’s the legend of the Shikon no Tama.” She replied with a grin.

“The Shikon no Tama? It sounds kind of familiar.” Scratching the back of his head he tried to think of where he had heard of the name.

“Hm. Not too many people know about it as a whole. Some of the other Shrines in Tokyo and elsewhere in Japan may have a mention of it, or of the Shikon Shards.”

With that his memory sparked, he remembered hearing something about a battle over a Shikon Shard from a priest at another Shrine once when he was a kid.

“Why do they only mention it? And why only talk about a shard of the jewel and not the whole thing?” He was confused by this. ‘You would think that if you have a story about a great battle over a piece of something then they would talk about the larger story behind it.’

“I’m not sure really. According to Grandpa, we are the only Shrine that has the legend in its entirety, including the tale of the creation of the Shikon no Tama. It makes sense that we would possess the majority of the legend since it supposedly centered around these grounds, but the start and the battles spanned across all of Japan. We can only speculate that our ancestors collected the tales and stored them here, while everyone else either ignored their part of the legend for some reason or forgot them.”

“Huh. Well let’s go with that legend then.” Kuroo grinned, “So tell me oh-wise-one, what is the creation story of the Shikon no Tama?”

Kagome smiled as she stood up, “Grandpa and I have been working on a manuscript for a book of the legends our Shine has for publishing. Trying to bring in more income and people’s interest to the Shrine. I’ll go grab it quick.” She disappeared down the hall for about a minute before she reemerged with a thick stack of papers in her hands.

“That’s all your legends?” Kuroo asked in shock.

She scoffed, “Of course not. This is just covering the some of the Shikon no Tama. It’s still not finished. I’m trying to get Grandpa to agree to split the smaller off-shoot legends that surrounded the Shikon into a separate book. Otherwise the book will be massive.”

“It _already_ looks massive.” Kuroo deadpanned.

“Don’t worry, there are some pretty pictures mixed in here to give your poor little brain a break.” She said while giving his head a light pat.

Kuroo stuck his tongue out at her as she sat down. They both settled down and dove into the tale that began over a 1,000 years ago.

* * *

Kuroo finally closed his laptop after completing the majority of his project. He needed to smooth out some elements of his report still, but he could use the next few weeks for the finishing details. He stretched his arms over head to work out the kinks that he could feel forming and looked over to Kagome to see her gathering the manuscript together so she could put it back where she found it.

Just as she returned, they could hear the front door open, “I’m home.”

“Welcome back, Mama.” Kagome called while looking down the hall to the entryway. “Hey Mama, there’s someone here you should see.”

“Oh?” She replied curiously. Kuroo stood up and stayed behind Kagome, out of sight of the returning matriarch. As she wandered towards her daughter she paused when she saw the towering teenage boy standing in her kitchen. “Oh my! Tetsurou-kun, is that you?”

“Surprise, Higurashi-mama.” He grinned and bent down to give her shorter frame a hug.

After giving him a tight hug, Mama leaned back and placed her hands on his face with a soft smile. “You’ve grown so big!”

“I’m a little taller than 6’1” now.” Kuroo gave a proud smirk, and a sly glance towards the much shorter blue-eyed beauty next to him.

Kagome felt her spirit shrivel as her eyes nearly popped out of her head. ‘Ten inches… He’s ten inches taller than me. Why Kami-sama? WHY?’

Mama gave the two a smile, “I didn’t know that the two of you had found each other again.” Kuroo and Kagome proceeded to explain the whole story to her as she began to start making lunch for everyone. “I see, well I’m glad that fate decided to finally lead the two of you back together. I take it Kenma and Souta are upstairs playing games?”

“Yeah, and they probably haven’t blinked once in the past hour.” Kagome grinned.

Mama laughed in agreement, “Well while I finish getting lunch ready, the two of you can go catch up.” She waved the teens out of the kitchen and to the yard, telling them to go get some fresh air. ‘Those two are just adorable together!’

* * *

Kagome and Kuroo stepped out into the courtyard, enjoying the quiet and calming environment that surrounded them. Grabbing his hand, Kagome led the way over to the Goshinboku and sat down at its base. Kuroo made himself comfortable beside her and leaned back to look up at the branches that sprawled above them.

“Kago-chan…” he began.

“Hm?”

“What happened? I mean, as soon as we finally got settled in our new house, I sent a letter to you but it came back saying you were no longer there.” His voice trailed off.

She took a deep breath remember those days. “About 2 weeks after you and your parents moved, Papa and Grandma were in a car accident.” Kuroo’s heart froze and he looked down at her in shock. She gave him a sad smile in return, “They didn’t make it. Mama was pregnant with Souta and the shock and grief nearly sent her into early labor. We moved here with Grandpa not even a week later.”

Moving his arm to wrap around her shoulders, he pulled her into a hug. “I’m so sorry that I wasn’t there for you Kago-chan.”

Resting against him and grasping his other hand, “You couldn’t have known Tetsu-kun. It was a long time ago, and besides, you’re here now.” She smiled.

“Yeah…” Wanting to lift the brief melancholy that descended upon them, he gave her a smirk “Hey Kago-chan?” She tilted her head up towards him and he continued, “Is there a boyfriend that I need to be concerned about?”

“W-what? Boyfriend? Why?” she was stunned by the question, and cautious about that grin on his face. It never boded well for her when they were children.

“Well, if memory serves, you _are_ my fiancé. I would hate to have to deal with some guy that thinks that my pocket-sized girl belonged to him instead. That would just be annoying.” He stated with a matter of fact tone and a Cheshire cat grin across his face.

She could feel the heat creeping into her face and just knew that her face was redder than a tomato at this point. “I am NOT pocket sized, Rooster Head! And who said I’m yours? We haven’t even gone on a date yet!”

“All right fine, we’ll do it your way then. I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning at 10 o’clock for our first date.” He said with an exaggerated sigh.

Kagome swore her brain just short-circuited. “Wait, what? What just happened?”

“Kagome-chan! Tetsurou-kun! Lunch is ready.” Mama called out to them.

Kuroo stood up and held a hand out to her with that smug grin of his, “Come on Kago-chan, you heard her.”

Her body moved on autopilot as she reached out and grabbed his hand, allowing him to lead her back to the house. Her brain on the other was still trying to catch up on the conversation that they just had, ‘…What…?’


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to these characters.

* * *

Kagome found herself staring at her open closet and debating the entire situation that she was currently in. Her mind played and replayed the conversation from yesterday, studying and watching as Kuroo set his trap and baited her into it. ‘He’s gotten slicker since we were kids, this will be problematic.’ At this point she wasn’t sure if she should be impressed or just plain irritated with that fact, so she settled on both.

Don’t get her wrong, it wasn’t like she was against going out with him. He did grow into a very handsome teen. His ridiculous height, which was _still_ unfair in her opinion, and the same crazy bedhead aside; his voice was definitely a draw for her. That deeper tone that he now possesses definitely sends shivers down her spine and she could feel the heat that wanted to creep into her cheeks when she heard him speak. It was an effect that she as going to have to hide as much as possible. She just knew that once he realized _that_ little tidbit, he would use it to his advantage every chance he could.

Pushing past his physical appeal, he still had the same warm and caring personality mixed with a brilliant strategic mind. Yet, that scheming side of his seems to been amplified tenfold during their separation. She always had to be cautious of that side of him when they were children, now he’s worse and she’s a bit out of practice.

‘I would have thought that dealing with Miroku would’ve kept me prepared for Tetsu-kun’s antics.’ However, she really needed to be honest with herself, Miroku’s schemes were directed towards _others_ and she didn’t always see the exchanges. It was his _perversions_ that she learned to deal with, and those tactics while various, were generally straightforward.

Shaking her head to refocus on the task at hand, she peered into her closet once again for inspiration. She wasn’t entirely certain as to what the plan was for the date, but she figured that there was a high possibility that volleyball would be included somehow. ‘So, do I wear the sundress, or something more sport worthy?’

A small part of her wanted to be obstinate and refuse to attend this date just to spite him. It wasn’t like he really _asked_ her, and the smug grin that he’ll most likely have when he arrives will drive her up the wall. “Just admit it Kagome. You’re miffed that he got one up over you…again…” She could feel the beginnings of a twitch under her left eye as her annoyance grew.

Taking a deep solidifying breath, she reached in and grabbed the sky-blue sundress decorated with sakura blossoms and the short white jacket to go over it. “Revenge will come. You just need to be patient and wait for the opportune moment.” Nodding to herself, she headed to the bathroom to finish getting ready.

* * *

As Kuroo finished getting ready for his date with Kagome he was struck by a sudden chill down his back. For a moment he was concerned that either he was coming down with a cold or maybe it was a warning. ‘Maybe I should ease up on provoking Kago-chan?’ Allowing a grin to creep across his face, he shook his head and left his room. ‘Nah, where’s the fun in that?’

“Tetsurou? Where are you going all dressed up?”

Kuroo paused and turned to look at his mother, then he glanced down at his attire. He was wearing a pair of black jeans with a black shirt, and over that he had a red button up shirt that he left undone and untucked. He rolled up the sleeves to just below his elbows to complete the look. It looked nice yet mostly casual to him at least. “I’m not _that_ dressed up, Ma.”

She tilted her head and scrutinized her son. “It’s nicer compared to what you normally wear.”

Placing a hand behind his head, Kuroo turned his eyes up to the ceiling as red crept into his cheeks. He just knew his mom would make a big deal out of the next bit of information. “I have a date.”

There was a moment of silence as his mom stared at him in surprise. “My volleyball nut of a boy is finally going on a date?! I thought you said that there were no else out there for you, except for little Kagome-chan?”

Kuroo winced a bit, and released a low groan. Her shock was understandable, he did dedicate himself to volleyball and turn down any girl that confessed to him. Also, she didn’t know that he found Kagome again since both his parents were out visiting family yesterday after he left, and they only returned home this morning. Looking back at her in the corner of his eye, “Yes, and that’s who I’m going on a date with.”

Watching as his mother’s eyes widened in shock, he started to think that now would be an excellent time to get out of the house. “What? You’re taking Kagome-chan out!”

“Yes Ma, I am. And wow, look at the time! I need to head out or I’ll be late. Oh, Higurashi-mama says hello and to give her a call sometime. The number for the shrine that they live at is on the refrigerator. Ok, gotta go! Bye!” With that he darted down the hall towards the door before she could catch him.

* * *

Kuroo took a deep breath after reaching the top of the stairs of the Higurashi Shrine. ‘Man, those stairs are no joke.’ He ran a hand through his hair as he looked around the grounds. The peacefulness and stillness in the air was soothing to him, he took a moment to appreciate the calm since he knew that that was _not_ what he would be returning home to.

Running out of the house and away from his mother was going to have consequences, like an hour-long interrogation. He could only hope that she somehow got distracted by something between now and then so he would be safe. Shaking his head, he turned to stroll towards the house in the back he crossed paths with the elder Higurashi.

“Good morning, Kuroo-san.”

Kuroo gave him a grin, “Good morning, Higurashi-san.”

“You’re here to pick up Kagome-chan, I take it?”

“Yes, sir.”

Grandpa stared into Kuroo’s eyes and a nod of approval. “She was grumbling quite a bit last night. It’s been a while since I’ve seen her that lively.” He chuckled in remembrance. Shaking his head, he patted Kuroo’s arm as he walked by. “You’ll be good for her. She needs someone who can keep her on her toes.”

Continuing to chuckle as he walked along the path, Grandpa felt the anticipation and glee building within him. ‘You may be able to keep her on her toes, but she will keep you on yours as well. This will be a fun show to watch.’

Kuroo turned his head a bit to watch the man wander off, and felt his grin grow wider. “Thank you, sir.”

Knocking on the door of the house, Kuroo took a calming breath to quell his nerves. He could feel his palms begin to sweat a bit, and his confidence was beginning to wane some. His hope was that this date went well today, and that the outcome would lead them to more dates in the future.

The door in front of him swung open to reveal the source of his brief bout of anxiety. There she was in a cute sundress that stopped just above her knees, and her hair pulled back into a high ponytail. Curling his lips into a soft smile he took in her delicate appearance. “Hey Kago-chan, you look pretty.”

Kagome reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear and shyly looked up into his eyes. “Thank you, you look very nice too.”

Grinning widely, Kuroo stepped aside to let her exit the house. “Are you ready to go?”

Smiling in return and with a light dusting of pink in her cheeks, she slipped on her white sandals. “Yes, I’m ready.” With a goodbye to her mother, she closed the door behind her. Kuroo threw his arm around her shoulders, tucking her slight frame into his side as he turned and guided them across the grounds and down the stairs.

* * *

The pair wandered around and stopped at a nearby park that was currently empty, simply talking and catching up on each other’s lives as they sat on the swings. Kuroo talked about meeting Kenma, playing video games with him, and dragging him outside to play. Told her about joining the volleyball team in Elementary School and Junior High, and the tournaments that he played in.

Kagome talked about being a big sister and helping out at the shrine. Telling about how she felt like she needed to step up more and help out as much as possible since their little family was still grieving. Telling the tale of how she was pulled out of her third year of Junior High to participate in a program that was a once in a lifetime opportunity. There she learned about being a miko and was trained in some martial arts, weapons, and healing. How one of her teachers was probably a demon in a previous life and had a sadistic streak to match.

Kuroo smirked at her and raised a brow in disbelief, “Come on now, Kago-chan. That’s a bit extreme to call someone a demon.”

She gave him a droll look and a snort, “Fine he was a demon lord. His name meant ‘Killing Perfection’ and he took great pride in living up to it.”

“Well it’s not like he would have actually killed you while training.”

“He would have if you didn’t duck fast enough, then he would just bring you back from the dead so you could try again.” She deadpanned. Kagome then slid her eyes towards Kuroo and gave a small smirk as he released a nervous chuckle.

Kuroo stood up from the swing after looking at the time. “Well, milady. Shall we go find ourselves something for lunch?” He held his hand out to her with a wide grin.

She laughed as she rested her hand in his and allowed him to pull her up on her feet. “What if I don’t want to have lunch with you? What if I’m tired of your presence?” She teased.

He tucked her against his side once more. “Lies! You could never be tired of me and my greatness.”

Giggling at his dramatics, she wrapped her arm around his waist. “Greatness, huh? A little full of ourselves, are we?”

“Always! Now, where or what would you like to eat?”

Kagome brought her free hand up to her chin as she contemplated her answer. Glancing up at Kuroo she grinned, “I could go for a burger. You?”

“That’s my girl.”

She could feel the heat rising into her cheeks as she pinched his side with the hand that was around his waist. “Once again, who said I’m yours?”

Flinching a bit, he laughed as he lowered his head closer to hers. “Pretty sure, I just did. And you’re not exactly denying it either, Kago-chan.”

“You are insufferable.” She scowled at his answering cackle.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to these characters.

* * *

Kagome and Kuroo walked into the nearest fast food restaurant and were relieved to see that it wasn’t too busy yet. Not wanting to take a chance, Kuroo shooed Kagome off to claim an open booth for them after telling him what she wanted.

He watched her walk away to claim a spot by a window, and he frowned when he saw that he wasn’t the only one watching her. Turing his attention back to the front and waited for the last person in front of him to finish placing their order. Of course, he turned away in time to miss the group that just entered the building and made a beeline for Kagome.

Kagome sat in the booth and altered her view between looking out the window to people watch and checking on Kuroo to see his progress and if he might need help bringing over the food. During her check on him her view was suddenly blocked by four bodies. “Kagome! Fancy seeing you here”

She blinked in shock and lifted her eyes, “Eri, Yuka, Ayumi. Hello.” Then noticed the boy standing with them and she cringed inwardly. “Hojo-san, nice to see you again. What are all of you doing here?”

“We were on our way to the shrine to see you and saw you in the window as we were walking by.”

Kagome looked at Yuka in confusion and glanced over at Ayumi to see the apologetic expression on her face. “Ano, Yuka… I told you last night that I had plans today.”

“Yes, and when we ran into Hojo he said he was on his way to take you on a date. So, we decided to come along and say hi and visit a bit before leaving the two of you alone.”

She gave almost a self-congratulatory grin down at Kagome as if to pat herself on her back for her brilliance. Not seeing Ayumi sigh and shake her head behind her. Hojo, from what Kagome could see in the corner of her eye was grinning from ear to ear with a blush on his face.

Feeling the twitch begin to develop under her eye, Kagome asked herself again as to why Ayumi was the only one that ever listened to her when she said she did _not_ want to date Hojo. She was well aware that Ayumi had tried to steer the other two away from the idea that she and Hojo were a perfect match. Sadly, Ayumi’s attempts were ignored and she was too soft hearted to really put her foot down with the duo.

Kagome took a deep and hopefully calming breath, “Yuka, I am not here to meet with Hojo. My _date_ is currently getting our food and he should be here soon.”

The stunned look of shock on three out of four of their faces was almost comical. If Kagome and Ayumi, weren’t irritated and embarrassed respectively, they would have laughed at the picture that they made. Before anyone could regain enough control to start bombarding Kagome with demands for answers a voice broke through the silence from behind them.

“Friends of yours, Kago-chan?”

* * *

Once he collected their order, Kuroo turned to head towards the booth that he saw Kagome claim for the two of them. He was a little surprised to see that there was a group of three girls and a boy that were crowding the table, so with some caution he approached them to see if there was a situation brewing that he would need to interfere with.

As he got closer, he could hear the exasperation in Kagome’s voice, “Yuka, I am not here to meet with Hojo. My _date_ is currently getting our food and he should be here soon.”

Kuroo frowned briefly when he heard the name Hojo, remembering that Souta mentioned that that was the boy who kept trying to get Kagome to go out with him. Stopping behind the group, he decided to announce his presence.

“Friends of yours, Kago-chan?” He had to bite the inside of his cheek to contain his laughter as he watched the quartet turn to face him and then slowly lift their heads to look up into his face. That look of shock that they had as they processed his height nearly made him lose his composure as he fought to keep his face blank. Looking over their collective heads at Kagome he could see the humor and relief that sparked in her eyes.

Seeing Kuroo raise a brow at her as he waited for an answer, her lips slowly curled as she knew what he was really wanting to know. She knew that he was subtlety inquiring if she needed him to step into the role of protector once again.

Shaking her head as she began the introductions, “Tetsu-kun, these are my friends Ayumi, Eri, and Yuka. We’ve known each other since I moved to the shrine. Hojo-san, went to the same Middle School with us. Everyone, this is Kuroo Tetsurou.”

After exchanging brief hello’s, Ayumi snapped to attention when she realized that Kuroo’s hands were holding a tray full of food and that she and the others were blocking the table. She quickly stepped aside and nudged the others to do the same. In the shift she wound up standing next to Hojo and the table, and watched Kuroo set down the tray and turn back to their group.

Hojo shook off his shock and stood taller while looking Kuroo dead in eye as if to challenge him. “How do you know Kagome-san? You do realize that she is very ill and should not be out and about in this sort of weather.”

Kuroo raised a brow at the tone and shoved his hands in his pockets as he looked down at the shorter boy. He was silent for a moment while he contemplated the ridiculous claims. Sliding a questioning glance in Kagome’s direction, he watched her roll her eyes. “She’s ill, eh? Looks fine to me.”

“Yes, she is ill. Her grandfather told me that she has a bad case of pneumonia, small pox, yellow fever…”

Kuroo could feel his eyes widen in disbelief at the list of illnesses that Hojo began to rattle off and a sharp grin slowly stretched across his face. ‘Higurashi-san actually convinced him that Kagome was sick with all this?’

He released a snort that cut off Hojo’s tirade. “You _do_ realize that if Kago-chan actually _had_ all of those illnesses, either at the same time or one right after the other, that she would be dead right?”

Hojo paused in confusion, which caused Kuroo to release the cackle that he had been withholding. Shaking his head quickly, Hojo regathered his wits. “You still haven’t told us how you know her, and what right you have to take her on a date.”

Kuroo sat down across from Kagome, and decided to bait the boy a bit more. “What business is it of yours what Kago-chan does?”

Releasing a huff in frustration, “She’s to be _my_ girlfriend, I’ve been waiting for her health to improve so we can go on a proper date!”

As Kagome became stone-faced and her eyes lit up with an unholy fire of fury at Hojo’s claims, Kuroo rested his chin on one hand and turned his amused gaze back up to Hojo. “Are you seriously trying to call dibs on her? If that’s the case then you lose, kiddo. Kago-chan and I have been engaged since she was six years old.”

* * *

Ayumi was shocked at Hojo’s behavior, she knew that he was infatuated with Kagome but this was borderline obsessive. Once she heard Kuroo announce that he and Kagome had been engaged since they were children, it clicked in her brain exactly who Kuroo is. This teen was the childhood friend that Kagome had tried to look for at the few volleyball tournaments that she was able to attend.

Containing her excited cheers at the thought of ‘childhood soulmates reuniting,’ she went ahead took advantage of the silence that reigned after Kuroo’s announcement, and ushered the others towards the door. “Come on everyone, we’ve interfered with their date enough and their food will get cold if we keep pestering them. Kagome-chan, we need to try to get together sometime! It was nice meeting you Kuroo-san, I’m glad that the two of you found each other again.”

“Bye Ayumi-chan, I’ll text you later. I want to hear how you are enjoying Fukurodani Academy.” Waving goodbye to the only sane member of the departing group, Kagome turned back to her companion.

“Interesting group there, Kago-chan.”

Sighing heavily, she gave him a small apologetic smile, “Eri and Yuka can be bullheaded, but they mean well. Ayumi-chan is very sweet and generally doesn’t put her foot down against the others. Honestly, it’s a little surprising that she took the initiative and herded the others out of here.” She spoke a little more about the girls’ antics and how she and Ayumi would commiserate over the situations that Eri and Yuka would drag them into.

Kuroo noticed that she didn’t say much about Hojo except to express irritation in his unwillingness to listen to her. “I think with him it’s more that he’s interested in my _name_ than myself. He apparently had an ancestor that he’s named after that married a woman named Kagome. So, I guess I should thank you for helping me crush those dreams.”

Snorting in disbelief, he returned her grin, “Just doing my job. Hey, you mentioned that Ayumi-san goes to Fukurodani Academy?” Kagome nodded in confirmation as they began to dig into their lunch. “We do a lot of practice matches against them and a few other schools.”

“Do they have a good team?”

Kuroo rolled his eyes, “Yeah their team is really strong. And their ace, Bokuto, is one of the top ace’s in the nation... Annoying Horned Owl Bastard.”

She snorted at his exaggerated grumbling, “That’s pretty impressive, but you are the _last_ person to be calling anyone annoying.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Raising a brow at his dramatics, Kagome waved him off then spotted the hand that was creeping toward her fries. She quickly slapped his hand away and scowled at his attempted claim of innocence. “I rest my case.”

He smirked at her as they took a moment to focus on eating their burgers, and Kagome had to fend off Kuroo’s thieving attempts a few more times. He asked Kagome about school and what club she had joined. “I haven’t joined one. Nekoma doesn’t have an Archery Club, but I’m not sure if I would join even if they did. I didn’t learn archery because I loved it, it was more out of necessity at first and now I use it as another form of meditation.”

Kuroo’s eye narrowed in thought at her response and slowly crept his hand towards her coveted fries. “And Tetsu-kun, if you try to steal my fries one more time, I will use you for target practice!”

Cackling with glee, he put his hands up in mock surrender as she scowled. After her shoulders began to relax some she immediately tensed up once more when she saw the Cheshire-cat-like-grin make an appearance on his face. Frantically she pointed at him wanting to cut off whatever scheme he had brewing, “No! Whatever you are currently plotting, I want absolutely _no_ part of it!”

“Oi, I haven’t said anything.”

“You don’t have to! Whenever that grin makes an appearance, it usually spells bad news for me!”

Giving a dismissive wave in her direction, “You’re just being paranoid, Kago-chan.”

“Paranoid I may be, but that doesn’t mean I’m _wrong_.”

Kuroo broke out laughing until he swore his sides were going to start splitting. Once he calmed down, he nearly lost it again when he spotted the look of nervous suspicion on Kagome’s face. “I was just thinking that maybe you could join the volleyball club and be our manager.”

Kagome’s eyes widened in surprise. Of all the ideas for him to have, that was not one that she would have guessed. However, she had her suspicions that there was more to this idea that she wasn’t seeing yet. “Why would you want me to become the team’s manager?”

Leaning against the table slightly, “Well for one, you would get to spend more time with me. Which should be reason enough.” He paused as he watched her roll her eyes at him. “Second, you could help us practice like you used to help me—”

“I haven’t played volleyball in over a year! And the last time I helped you practice, you kept complaining that I wasn’t spiking the ball right!” She protested.

He smiled a waved away her objections, much to her annoyance. “Well you were doing it wrong, and we’ll get you back into the groove of the game. No worries! Also, you’ll get to see Kenma more of course.”

Kagome watched as Kuroo trailed off and looked down at the table top while leaning back in the seat. His face became serious as he reached up to rub the back of his neck. She could tell that what was on his mind was probably the larger reason why he wanted a manager for the team. At first, she was at a loss for his reaction, but then she remembered a conversation that she had with Kenma about the club.

“This is about the third years isn’t it?” Stunned that she guessed the real issue, Kuroo snapped his head up to look into her eyes. She gave him a sad smile and shrugged her shoulders. “Kenma mentioned that they were bullies and enjoyed throwing their weight around. He didn’t go into detail, but I got the gist of what he was alluding to.”

Releasing a sigh, Kuroo nodded and explained to her in detail as to everything that had been happening in the club after their advisor would leave them on their own. The more she heard the more enraged she felt, she couldn’t believe the arrogance of the upperclassmen. There was no reason for them to treat their underclassmen the way that they were.

“I and the other second years can’t keep shielding the rookies, Kago-chan. We need someone else to help keep the third years in line until our permanent advisor or coach arrives. Someone that they won’t have authority over.” Kuroo stopped for a moment, and reached across the table and grabbed her hand. “Kago-chan, will you please join the club and help us?”


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to these characters.

* * *

It was a beautiful morning, there were no clouds in the sky, birds were singing, and few people were already beginning to move about and start their day. Kuroo felt light and happy as he and Kenma walked to school for their morning practice. He wouldn’t say that he was walking on air or anything, but the elation he was experiencing was close enough.

All right he was strutting and he knew it. Could anyone really blame him? He found his old childhood sweetheart, got her to go on a date with him, provoked her wannabe suitor, and somehow was able to survive his mother when he returned home. There was plenty for him to feel smug about, and he had no desire to hide it.

“You’re in a good mood. I take it that things went well with Kagome yesterday?”

Kuroo hummed in agreement, “She’s going to be stopping by our practice this morning.” He glanced down and gave Kenma a smug grin. “Got her to agree to join the club as our manager.”

Kenma’s eyes widened in surprise at that. He knew that Kuroo and the other second years were planning on ways to help the team grow and improve, but the third years were an obstacle that they couldn’t quite surpass. A manager _could_ possibly change the power dynamics of the team if you found the right one. Taking Kagome’s innate ability to subtly lead and guide their class, and wrangle himself and her little brother where she wanted them into consideration—she could make things _very_ interesting.

“I wonder how she’ll blend in with the team, and how they’ll react to her. Tora might pass out.”

Kuroo cackled, “That would be fun to watch!”

* * *

Inside the gym Kuroo, Kai, and Yaku began going through their stretches as they waited for the first years to finish changing in the club room.

“What’s got you in such a good mood, Kuroo? Plotting against the third years again?”

Kuroo smirked at Yaku as Kai sighed and prepared himself for another squabble to break out. “You could say that I’m plotting against them. I found us a manager.”

“A manager?”

“Yup, she’s going to stop by to meet everyone this morning.”

Kai raised a brow at that, “You mean meet everyone, but the upperclassmen. You know that they don’t participate in the morning practices.”

“Yeah, well that’s the beauty of it. They’ll be blindsided. And she’s been tasked with committee work for most of this week. So, she won’t be able to come to our practices after school.”

“You are some kind of twisted, Kuroo.”

“Yaku, your words wound me.”

“Enough you two. What’s she like Kuroo?”

“And spoil the surprise?” Kuroo took a moment to relish in Yaku’s sigh of exasperation. “I won’t say much more than that she’s a first year, and I have full confidence that she’ll make quite the impact on the team.”

As the rest of the team began to trickle into the gym, the boys began to focus on the task at hand. They had less than a month before the Inter-High prelims started, and while the majority of them would not be starting they still wanted to be at their best.

While they worked on their receives, the door was pulled open, causing them to pause and look at the intruder. Grinning widely, Kuroo jogged over to the raven-haired girl and tugged her into his side as he guided her to the others.

“Everyone, this is Higurashi Kagome. She’s going to be signing on as our new manager today.”

Kagome smiled and greeted the boys. She was a little concerned when she saw that several seemed like they were frozen in shock. Especially the boy with the mohawk, he looked like he was about to fall over and pass out with how red his face was. Before she could ask them if they were ok, Kuroo continued with the introductions and explained that she would only be able to be present for their morning practices. “Since I didn’t have a club, I was tasked with some committee work this week. I should be done on Wednesday.” Receiving nods in understanding, Kagome noticed that the headcount seemed a bit low. “Ano, this isn’t everyone on the team is it?”

“The third years declared that since they were more advanced in terms of skill, that we underclassmen are the only ones that need to participate in morning practices.”

The atmosphere in the gym was grim and Kagome blinked in shock. She remembered Sesshoumaru and how he was a master of the sword and strategy, but he _still_ trained daily for hours. Paling a bit, she contemplated that if any of his generals or soldiers ever tried to use such a foolish excuse, he would have slaughtered them for stupidity. ‘Probably would say that such idiocy should not be allowed to breed while he did it, too.’

Snapping back to the present, she saw the looks of cautious curiosity on the faces before her. “Sorry! I was just thinking that if my old sensei ever heard that excuse that heads would roll. He had a distaste for laziness and those who lacked dedication.” The team smirked a bit and relaxed, then it occurred to her that they were probably concerned that she was paling at _their_ perceived lack of skill.

“Hey Kago-chan, you think that we could get your old sensei to be our coach for a few days?”

She looked up at Kuroo and frowned playfully, “You just want to see what he would do to the third years.”

“Well yeah.”

The gloomy atmosphere dissipated and gym was filled with snickers and laughs. Kagome shook her head and shared a smile with Kuroo, this was how the boys should be. As the team got themselves under control, they returned to their practice. Kuroo remained standing with Kagome and watched the others practice their receives. The two discussed the practice sessions and future training schedules before Kagome had to leave. She waved goodbye to the team and headed out to the main school building.

* * *

Kagome gained a lot of patience after dealing with Inuyasha’s attitude, and Miroku’s perverted nature. And it was that vast amount of patience that she had cultivated that was keeping her from exploding at this very moment. The now former advisor for the volleyball club had handed her a stack of paperwork and directed her to the Vice Principle as the new temporary advisor.

Then sitting down with the Vice Principle once she finished her committee work, they began to wade through the mess that was the current state of the volleyball club. The captain of the team had not been taking care of the paperwork and scheduling of the club’s activities as he was supposed to. In fact, all of the rookie members were not even considered as actual members of the club because the forms were not marked as such.

She wasn’t sure if it was a power play by the third years that left the first years marked as ‘temporary members’ or just carelessness. Regardless, it was an error that she immediately corrected. If it was some kind of ploy, then it was one weapon in the third years’ arsenal that she wanted removed. Thanking the Vice Principle for his time and promising that she will work on getting the rest of the disaster straightened out, Kagome left the staff room to get ready to leave for the day.

Pulling out her phone she saw that the team was finished with practice and Kuroo sent her a text seeing if she was still on campus. She typed out a quick confirmation and headed out to the gates of the school to meet him and Kenma to walk home. As she wandered outside, Kagome decided that she would keep her suspicions about the member statuses to herself. She didn’t have proof and for all she knew it really was just a clerical error.

Kami-sama knew that she caught a few crazy errors in her grandfather’s paperwork for the shrine while he taught her the ropes so she could help him and possibly take over in the future. Though she also suspects that he created those errors to see if she would catch them. ‘Sometimes grandpa takes the senile act a little too far. But it is fun to watch people try to figure out if he’s being serious or messing with them.’ Shaking her head with a laugh she greeted the two boys as they all began their journey home for the night.

* * *

The next morning found Kuroo, Kenma and Kagome in the gym about an hour before practice was supposed to begin. Kuroo decided that they should get a jumpstart on dusting off the cobwebs of Kagome’s volleyball skills. Kagome had no problem with the time since she always woke up with the sun anymore and goes through her own training routines first thing in the morning. Kenma on the other hand, was not amused with Kuroo’s enthusiasm and could not stop yawning between frowns in the beginning.

As the three began to fall into a rhythm for Kagome spiking and Kuroo blocking, the boys noticed that steadily the hesitation in Kagome’s movements began to lessen. There was an excited and calculating gleam that began to emerge in her eyes, and suddenly Kuroo began to feel that the flow of their practice could change. In order to throw her off balance, he began to tease her about her height once more.

Scowling playfully at the middle-blocking-pain-in-the-ass, she grinned sharply and called Kenma away from the net. Curious he walked over to her to see what she had up her sleeve to deal with their mutual irritant.

Lowering her voice to make sure that she couldn’t be overheard she laid the foundations for her surprise. “Kenma, with this next toss, could you make it higher than the previous ones?”

He nodded in agreement though he was confused by the request. Returning to his spot by the net he could only assume that she knew what she was doing and prepared to toss her the ball once more.

Kuroo prepared himself and watched Kagome’s movements carefully, as the ball flew up in the air he was shocked at the height. Looking back to Kagome he saw that how she placed her feet before she jumped was different. Jumping up to block her spike, he was baffled to see that the height of her jump had increased significantly. She glanced to the left for where she would hit and he adjusted his arms to cut her off, but instead she hit the ball to the right.

Kenma and Kuroo’s eyes widened in shock and they all turned to watch as the ball flew and hit the floor just outside of the line. “Out.”

Kagome slapped her forehead in despair. “Aw man! I seriously need to work more on my aim.” Kuroo gave a nervous chuckle as Kenma eyes gained an intrigued gleam. Before they could continue further the rest of the team began to arrive.

Kuroo and Kenma brought out the table for their receiving practice while the other members made their way through their stretches. Once everyone was ready, Kagome took a moment to notify them of the change in their advisor and that the Vice Principle informed her that their new coach was scheduled to arrive next week.

Gathering everyone on one side of the court, Kagome was nominated to be the one to spike the ball for the team to receive and the boys would switch out who would be handing her the ball to hit. As she climbed up onto the table and Kenma got ready to hand her a volleyball, Kuroo gave her a cheeky smirk, “Hey Kago-chan. If the table isn’t tall enough for you to reach over the net, we can find you a box to stand on.”

Scowling at him as he sauntered off towards the others, Kagome reached for the ball Kenma held out for her. Making sure that she didn’t put too much strength into her swing, she hit the ball in his direction.

Kuroo jerked forward as he felt himself get hit in the back of his head by a ball. There was silence in the gym as he placed his hand where he had been hit and turned to scowl at the perpetrator.

Receiving a smug smile in return, “I think this height will do just fine, thanks.” And with that the team broke out into laughter. Yamamoto fell to the ground holding his sides and tears streamed down his face.

Shooing Kuroo to get in line with the others, Kagome began hitting the ball for the boys to receive. From what she could tell, their ability to receive was really good but there was something off about their movements. Narrowing her eyes, she watched them closely and aimed further away from them so that they were forced to dive and stretch even further with their reach.

It was there that that the issues in their moves were more obvious to her. They were reaching the ball, but the way that they placed their limbs and weight threw off their balance enough that their ability to recover was compromised. ‘Well, there’s something that we can work on. Maybe some of the lessons that Sesshoumaru gave me could help them.’ Tucking away the idea to think over later, she refocused on observing the boys and how they moved as the practice progressed.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to these characters.

* * *

Thursday finally arrived and Kagome was glad that her committee duties were completed so she could focus her attention onto the team. The morning practice went smoothly with the first and second years, and she was getting more of a feel of where their weaknesses currently are. She may not have the technical skill and ability to really help them grow, but she did have knowledge of conditioning and movement.

Sesshoumaru was a brutal teacher that didn’t believe in holding back regardless of your current skill level, and those lessons were pivotal in her improvement and ability to survive. When he wasn’t torturing her with training, she watched his and Sango’s movements closely as they went through their own training. Their styles were vastly different but the overall principle of how they moved, where they placed their feet for balance, and weight distribution as they moved came from the same root ideology.

To really move and to complete amazing feats safely, you must have a sense of awareness of your body and those around you. And with that you must have the strength and energy to move as you wish. Now she had no intention of being as cruel as Sesshoumaru was with the boys’ conditioning, especially since they don’t have the benefit of her healing abilities. However, they certainly were not going to really enjoy what she would put them through.

Kagome narrowed her eyes in thought. ‘They’ll thank me for it later. But I’ll have to keep a close eye on a few of them, they may try to run away once they realize the misery that’s coming.’ She was starting to pull the pieces of the puzzle together, but there was more that she needed to accomplish first.

“Kagome? Are you ok?” Blinking back into focus, she turned in her seat to look at Kenma and gave him a nod. “Yes, just a lot on my mind at the moment.”

Before he could say anything more, the chime signaling that it was time for lunch cut through the air and as the two collected their lunches the door to the classroom slid open revealing a familiar towering form. “Kago-chan, Kenma, let’s go.”

The three headed outside to take advantage of the beautiful day and found a spot to eat their food. As part of their new routine, Kagome had to spend some of her time defending her lunch from Kuroo’s thieving attempts and Kenma just shook his head at the duo. He knew Kagome would have shared with Kuroo if he just asked instead of trying to steal it, he also knew that Kuroo enjoyed the game too much to take the easy route. Eventually Kagome would give in and share, but likewise she wasn’t going to make things easy for the thief. It had to be one of the oddest forms of flirting that he’s observed, yet it seemed to just make sense for the two.

Once the food had vanished and there was still time left during the break, Kenma played a game on his phone while Kuroo stretched out on the grass with his head in Kagome’s lap. She made a face down at him for the arrangement, to which Kuroo merely smirked and closed his eyes. Shaking her head, she began to gently run her fingers through his messy hair. Then leaning back against the tree, she closed her eyes enjoying the peace that surrounded them, oblivious to the various broken hearts that witnessed the scene.

The rest of the day flew by and as the last class finished. Kagome waved to Kenma telling him that she would meet everyone in the gym after her meeting with the Vice Principle. Kenma nodded to her as she left, and took a moment to gather up his schoolwork in his bag and headed to the gym.

* * *

Kagome checked the time as she left the teachers staff room and saw that she’d missed the first ten minutes of practice. Hustling down the hall while balancing the box in her arms, she entered the girls changing room and then booked it to the gym. She nudged the door open with her hip and saw the boys were working on various drills. The boys greeted her as Kuroo jogged over to help her with the box, earning himself a grateful smile as he turned to set the item down against the wall.

After taking a quick look around the gym, Kagome was confused when she didn’t see any new additions. “Ano, where are the third years?”

Kuroo heaved an exasperated sigh, “Running late today, I guess.”

Rolling her eyes, Kagome gathered up the water bottles after setting a stack of papers on top of the box. “Perfect. Well I’ll go ahead and get your water bottles filled.” Standing up she addressed the other team members. “Everyone! I have permission slips for all of you for next weekend’s training trip to Ubugawa High. Be sure to come and pick one up before you leave tonight. I’ll need the forms returned by Tuesday.”

The boys chorused their agreement as she went off to fulfil her task. Once all the needed water bottles were filled, she placed them in the carriers and took them back out to the courts. Setting them down out of the way, she turned back to the boys and saw that they were ready to begin their receiving drills.

The team waved her over to practice with them as she did the mornings, and she quickly climbed up on the table. For once this week, she went without Kuroo’s teasing about her height, she figured that either he was finally learning or he didn’t want another ball to the back of his head today. As she got into position to start hitting the ball for Yamamoto to start receiving, the loud creaking sound of the doors to the gym swinging open behind her caused her to pause. Judging by the looks on the faces of the boys in front of her, she could only assume that the infamous third years had finally made an appearance.

“What’s this? You have a girl helping you practice? You all must be slacking.”

Kagome twitched at the snide comment, but was struck by the familiarity of the voice. She turned her head to look at the newcomers over her shoulder, and tried to place where she had heard that voice before. There were five young men and they appeared to be fairly tall, not quite Kuroo’s height but close, and she observed as they looked her over. Suddenly the four that were standing behind who she could only assume was the captain started pointing at her and elbowing each other while snickering.

The captain suddenly straightened up taller and looked at her with a smarmy grin. “Well, well, well cutie! I take it that you’re here to beg me to take you on a date now?”

That’s when it finally clicked as to where she recognized him from. She turned to fully face him as her face fell into a deadpanned expression and her eyes shone with annoyance. “Oh, it’s _you_. I see that you still think you are kami-sama’s gift to girls.” Rolling her eyes at the older teen that had attempted to flirt with her last week. “Tetsu-kun. If I had known this idiot was on the team, I would have argued more about becoming the team manager.”

The captain’s face began to flush a bright red as the other members all began to snicker at his expense. He cleared his throat and attempted to reclaim his arrogant visage. “There’s no need to be embarrassed about your desires for me. It’s incredibly common. Though I’m impressed that you applied to become the team manager to get closer to me”

Kagome raised a brow at his poor attempt to save face. “Embarrassed? The only one who should be embarrassed here is _you_ for thinking that those ‘pickup lines’ would actually get you a date. If they’ve worked in the past then it must have been out of pity. I mean honestly! Who goes up to someone and demands a date while bragging about their own looks and how attractive they supposedly are? Besides, pretty boys don’t interest me, and if they did—” She gave him a quick scrutinizing look, “I’ve seen prettier.”

* * *

Kuroo and the others were stunned at the byplay that was occurring before them. Kagome was the girl that turned down the captain last week? Once the shock wore off, the group struggled to contain their amusement as their new manager ripped into their number one bully. “Kago-chan you wound me! Are you saying I’m not pretty?”

She glanced over at Kuroo with a look that screamed that he was being stupid. “That crazy bedhead of yours makes it hard to judge for certain Rooster Head. Besides, you _know_ you’re attractive, so stop fishing for compliments.”

At that, what little control Yamamoto had left was lost. He released a loud snort and fell to his knees cackling. In turn this caused a chain reaction and the rest of the underclassmen let loose of the hilarity that they were holding back. Kenma hid his grin and watched as Kuroo stood tall with his arms crossed and a satisfied grin.

Turning back to the third years, Kagome ignored the mayhem that was occurring behind her. She decided that giving the others a chance to regroup themselves before wrangling them back in line was best at the moment. The tension in the gym was still present but not as oppressive as it once was, and with that in mind she addressed the five late players. “Hurry up and go through your stretches.” Shifting her expression and tone to mirror the look that Sesshoumaru would give to those who were late. “Also, if any of you are ever late again without a valid excuse. You will be penalized.”

The sudden chill that descended upon the gym caused all the teens to freeze with a flinch. The captain shook off the shock and showed his outrage at her supposed audacity. “Who are you to make such a declaration? I am the captain of this team, and since there is no coach, I am the one who makes such decisions!”

Kagome looked down at him, using the height that she gained from standing on the table to her advantage. “Yes, you have had a lot of responsibilities without a coach or a manager. However, you failed to fulfill those responsibilities. _You do know_ that there is paperwork involved with running this club, _right_? You must not, because _I’ve_ had to work my way through a chunk of the supplies list and scheduling since I joined. I sat down with the Vice Principle and we were shocked at the state that the club was in. We agreed that since the workload was far too much for you to handle, that I would be responsible for the teams conditioning and paperwork until the new coach arrives next week.” She paused to allow that bit of information to sink in. “Now, kindly get your stretches and warm up done, then get in line.”

* * *

Kuroo felt like his eyes were going to pop out of his head. He had hopes that a manager would help improve things in the club, but this was far beyond his hopes and dreams. Sharing a look with the other second years to see the shock mirrored on their faces along with the first years. They felt hope begin to build within them as they witnessed the very powershift that they desperately needed.

Falling back into line they continued their practice for the day. If they thought that the surprises were over and done with, they we wrong. At the end of practice, Kagome left the gym to clean the water bottles for the next day and then the captain once again tried to reclaim his authority amongst the underclassmen. They tried to push back some, but then he threw out a threat that once more made the members, especially the rookies, feel helpless.

“You know that you rookies aren’t considered full club members, right? Don’t think for one second that just because we have a hellcat for a manager that your positions are safe! So, you will do as you’re told or—”

“Oh, that little paperwork hiccup?” Everyone turned to see Kagome standing at the entrance with smile that slowly morphed into razors. “I was certain that you were just unfamiliar with how to properly fill out the paperwork. So, the Vice Principle and I took care of that little issue on Monday” And with that, Kagome solidified her hold in the power struggle. “Now all of you, start cleaning. We are done for the day.”

As the team ran off to perform their tasks, she saw that the third years walk off to the side to observe and heckle the rookies. “Oi, either you can grab a mop or I can give you a rag and you can clean the floor the old-fashioned way. You choose.”

The boys glanced at their captain, unsure as to where they should stand. The captain snarled and approached Kagome from behind and gripped one of her shoulders. She looked back at him and a chilling aura began to surround them. “Watanabe-san, you have 5 seconds to remove your hand.”

“You don’t get to waltz in here and start barking orders. This is _my_ club and what I say go—”

* * *

Across the gym Kuroo was not happy to see what was unfolding and with Yamamoto, Yaku, and Kai following, he began to cross over to put a stop whatever the captain had planned. They only made it about halfway to the two before they stopped and their jaws dropped. Kagome had grabbed the hand on her shoulder and in a move that was too fast to follow, she had Watanabe flipped onto his back on the floor.

She stood there for a moment looking down at the taller boy before turning her gaze to the other third years. “Why aren’t you cleaning?” With that they scrambled to lend a hand to the rest of the members. Watching them for a moment, she nodded and continued over to the box that she had brought in earlier. After the cleaning was complete, she handed out the permission forms and revealed that the box contained the team’s red track suits for the first years. The boys thanked her with wide grins and then dispersed from the gym to get changed and go home for the night.

After he got changed, Kuroo met Kagome and Kenma outside at the gate. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders from behind and placed a quick kiss on her temple before they all began their journey home.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to these characters.

* * *

As the team worked their way through the first part of practice on Friday afternoon, Kagome fought the malicious grin that wanted to stretch across her face. There was a small, teeny-tiny, part of her that felt a little bad about what she was about to unleash upon her boys. However, that side was overpowered by the sheer joy that began to build within her. Maybe she was beginning to understand some of the sadistic glee that Sesshoumaru seemed to radiate during her training?

That excitement to watch your student struggle and suffer, knowing that you will then be full of pride as they grow and evolve. Well she was about to enter the first half of that process, so she’ll reserve judgement until they reach the last half before she can determine if that was probably how Sesshoumaru felt. Though, she was certain that he was just a sadist—mostly.

“All right everyone. Let’s go for a run.”

The boys looked up from their water break to see her holding the door open for them. “You’re going to run with us Kagome?” She smiled at Yaku and nodded telling them that she would lead them to where they would be performing their next conditioning task.

When her eyes slit open to watch everyone head for the door, Kenma flinched as an ominous chill ran down the back of his spine. He watched Kagome carefully as there was something about that glint in her eyes that reminded him a little too much of the time when she had warned Souta that his punishment for trying to dodge his homework was coming.

The club jogged through the various streets taking twists and turns, Kagome remined in the lead with Kuroo not far behind her. After about 15 minutes into the jog, she ran a little faster to gain more of a lead before she came to a stop by a torii gate. She turned and waited for the others to catch up. It was that familiar gate that caused Kuroo to say what Kenma was thinking. “Ah hell.”

Gaining curious looks Kagome had a serene smile as she addressed the group. “Now that everyone is here, your next task is something we can simply call the stair master.” She lifted a hand and pointed at the stairs that the majority of the club hadn’t looked at yet and nearly cackled as she watched them all pale in horror.

“You are to run up the stairs until you reach the top, and then turn and walk down the stairs for one complete set. You all must complete three sets total.” Taking in their wide eyes, she allowed them a moment to absorb the information, “Be sure that you _walk_ on the way down. I don’t need any of you falling and cracking your heads open. I’d have to go through the trouble of sending your spirit on if that happened.”

As the chorus of cries broke out amongst the teens, a younger voice piped up behind them. “Wouldn’t be the first time nee-san had to help spirits move on either. But dying on the shrine stairs would be a new one.” The club members froze and turned to look at the elementary student behind them. “Kuroo! Kenma! What are all of you guys doing here?”

Kuroo and Kenma waved hello to the child. When they were nudged about how they knew the younger boy, they answered that he was Kagome’s kid brother.

“Souta-chan, the team is here as part of their conditioning.”

Souta’s eyes just about fell out of his head at his sister’s statement. Whipping his head around he looked at the team in terrified horror, “You are having nee-san _train_ you?! Are you all _insane_?!”

Kagome smirked and looked down at him. “Souta, you could always join in. It would help you with your soccer training.”

The team watched as the child paled, and his voice became high and squeaky as he panicked. “Look at the time! I would love to stay nee-san, but I have homework to get started on! Bye guys, and good luck!” With that he darted full speed up the stairs and out of sight.

“We are officially doomed.” Seeing the others look to Kuroo in askance, Kenma offered one sentence to clarify. “Souta usually tries to avoid homework.”

Once all eyes slowly drifted back to her, Kagome gave them an innocent look and clapped her hands together. “Meh, if he has homework then that’s that. Now let’s get started!”

* * *

She knew that she should be more sympathetic, but the giggles just kept escaping as she watched the boys practically crawl over to the water bottles. The sets on the stairs just about wore them out. That was the beauty of the stair drills. The first round was generally not too bad, then the second alerted you to the struggle you were feeling, and then the third was pure misery that felt like it dragged on forever. Afterwards they jogged back to the school, and then she had them do two flying laps around the gym. Normally that probably wouldn’t have exhausted them to this extent, but the first half of practice did possess a lot of drills.

After seeing their energy levels drop, she decided to have some mercy on them and not add anymore to their workload. This would give her a chance to research more conditioning methods for volleyball players and see how she could maybe tweak them. She shook her head and collected the towels and empty bottles to be cleaned, leaving the team to begin cleaning up before they all left for the night. As she settled into her task, she thought about the conversations that she had as all the members trained.

_While they were running up the shrine steps her grandfather’s old friend wandered over for their weekly game of shogi._

_“Good afternoon, Ishikawa-san.”_

_“Ah, hello Kagome-chan. What is going on here?”_

_“They are the members of the Nekoma Highschool Volleyball Club. I’m having them run the shrine steps as part of their training.”_

_The older man shook his head and chuckled, “They’ll be feeling that later until they get used to it. This is a drill that you do yourself every morning isn’t it?”_

_“Yes, though I’m not having them do as many as I normally do. I’m more use to this exercise and they need to work up to that number. The team is strong with a lot of potential, but they have weaknesses. If they want to make it to Nationals and do well, then they need improvement.”_

_“Good goals to have, for sure. Their stamina and leg strength will improve with drills like this.”_

_Kagome nodded and the two fell silent for a moment as they watched the progress before them. “Ano, Ishikawa-san?”_

_“Yes?”_

_“The sport center that your family runs… It has a few indoor beach volleyball courts, right?”_

_He grinned as he could see where her thoughts were going. “They don’t get used much in the summer months since most just go to the beach. You are wanting to maybe use them for training?”_

_“If that is all right? I’ll need to get approval of course. But I thought I should check with you first.”_

_“My dear girl, the courts are yours. Just let me know what days you would like to use them.”_

_“Thank you, Ishikawa-san!”_

She had almost forgotten that Ishikawa-san’s sport center even had a large sand pit for volleyball. However, she was glad that she did remember and lucky for her that the Vice Principle stopped by to check in on the team after they returned from their run. As they stepped aside to discuss the club’s progress and handing over the completed paperwork that was caught up, she mentioned taking the club members over to the center and using the sand pit there. The Vice Principle, thankfully, approved of the idea and informed her that they would need to sit down on Monday after class to discuss the schedule.

‘Everything is finally beginning to fall into place. And the new coach will be here on Wednesday… Then if all goes well, Coach Nekomata will come back after the Inter-High Prelims.’

Now she just needed to decide if she should keep that last little tidbit to herself or not. She was well aware that Kuroo was hoping that the former coach would return, and if he laid off calling her ‘pocket-sized’ for a while, then maybe she’ll be nice enough to tell him that the coach that inspired him is planning to make a comeback.

After the gym was cleaned, everyone headed home for the night. “Kago-chan! Did you have to be that cruel?!” It was slightly irksome that he could be dragging his feet and she still had to walk fast to keep up.

Kagome scoffed at his complaint, “Well, you did say that you wanted my old sensei to coach for a few days. Think of me as a kinder version of him.”

“ _That_ was _kind_?!”

“Yes, he would have made you do those until you threw up. And I did not want to have to clean that up. Sweeping the stairs is enough of a chore without adding scrubbing into the mix.”

Kuroo released a groan as Kenma cringed. They had heard passing mentions of how intense of a teacher her old sensei was, and the more that they learned, the more they were glad that he _wasn’t_ their coach. Any misery that he could have doled out to the third years was not worth the pains that would be assigned to them. “Anyway, we’ll stick to all of you doing three sets for now. As you become more used to it, then we can add more.”

“What do you mean more? Three sets are _more_ than enough!”

“Oh please, three sets are nothing. I do ten every morning.”

“ _Ten_?!”

Kagome stopped at the duel squawks and realized that the two where no longer next to her. Looking over her shoulder, she took in their frozen forms and blinked. “What?” All the boys did was stare at her, much to her confusion. She glanced down at her phone to check the time, and her eyes widened in shock. “Ah! I have to get home and help mama cook dinner! I’ll see you both later! Remember dinner is at 7!” With a quick wave she darted around the corner and was out of view.

Kuroo looked down at his friend, “She does ten sets?”

Returning his look, “Apparently.”

“And we have to climb those stairs again soon.”

“Yup.”

Groaning in defeat, Kuroo and Kenma continued on their way towards their homes. “At least the food will be great. Higurashi-mama is a great cook.”

“True. And Kagome is cooking with her.”

“Our meals at our training camps will definitely improve!”

“Were they that bad in the past?”

"Eh, when we trained with the other schools, the food was good. But when it was just our team, the upperclassmen would make the rookies cook. It was edible at least."

“Ah.”

* * *

Kuroo should have known that he got off too easy with his mother when she didn’t grill him after he got home from his date with Kagome. He should have _known_ that she would find some way to punish him for his offense. Instead he allowed himself to feel relief and assume that she called Higurashi-mama and forgot all about his transgression. Well she _did_ call her, but she did _not_ forget.

Here they all were at the Higurashi Shrine, Kagome had been immediately enveloped in a giant hug by his mother as she gushed over how she had grown. Then once Kagome was released, he released a cackle after she pouted at his mother while pointing at him. “Kuroo-mama! What have you been _feeding_ him? His height _cannot_ be natural!” The room devolved into chuckles and his parents began catching up with Kagome’s mom and getting to know her grandfather.

Souta and Kenma vanished upstairs to play games as per usual, and he wasn’t sure if he would have been safer with them or not at this point. The initial conversation was to be expected even though it was kind of embarrassing. Their mothers both gushed about him and Kagome and how they made such a cute couple. Then they began to giggle over the idea of future grandbabies. Both his and Kagome’s faces flushed with color, her eyes immediately looked to her lap while his went to the ceiling.

‘Isn’t it a little soon to be planning for that?’ And just when he thought it couldn’t get any worse, his mother dealt him a devastating blow.

“After we moved and found out that you had moved as well. Little Tetsurou was so distraught. He kept looking for Kagome-chan everywhere in hopes of finding her. In fact, anytime he heard someone say ‘Kagome’ his little head would whip around and frantically search to see if it was her. Now that I think of it, it reminds me of that animated movie with the house and the balloons. The one where the dogs could talk and get excited whenever someone said ‘squirrel.’”

Kill him now and get it over with. That was the _last_ thing he wanted Kagome to ever hear. He was certain that his face couldn’t get any redder at this point, and then he heard the quiet giggles. Groaning softly, he glanced down at the dancing gems that were looking up in his direction.

She lowered her hands away from her lips and smiled. “Aww, so I was your squirrel, eh? That’s so cute!”

“Oh, hush you.”

Kagome snickered softly then leaned closer to him and lowered her voice. “I looked for you too.” She gave his hand a squeeze and stood up to go the kitchen to check on the food. He watched her leave and felt himself calm down. Yes, he was embarrassed but knowing that he wasn’t the only one searching made it barrable.

A soft smile crept across his face and he decided that it was time to vacate the room and hide with the gamer duo. He figured that if his mom revealed anything more, then ignorance was bliss. His mother won this round and he’s been thoroughly reminded to be cautious when challenging her. She simply had too much blackmail material at her disposal.

That and he refused to suffer the family’s antics without his ‘squirrel’ by his side.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to these characters.

* * *

Kuroo would be lying if he said he wasn’t worried about Kagome. Now if he was to say that she worried him or he was worried for her, he would have to say that it was a little bit of both. He was well aware that there was no way that Watanabe had given up on targeting her after their first clash. And sadly he was proven correct. The elder boy kept trying to make passes at her even though Kuroo made it pretty blatant that Kagome was his girlfriend— Yamamoto was still pouting over that little fact.

However, beyond trying to coerce her into agreeing on a date, he was also trying to be slick in terms of getting back at her for rejecting him and for taking away his authority. Which was ironic because Watanabe would be losing some of that authority tomorrow with the arrival of their new coach. The whole dating aspect he really wasn’t worried about. After seeing the captain’s attempts, he had to agree with Kagome’s assessment that any date he got in the past was out of pity or the girl was blinded by the guy’s looks. He was more worried that he would have to wrangle some of the other players into helping him hide a body at this rate. That tick forming on her brow was not a good sign, and he should know. He had been on the receiving end of that warning sign a few times when they were kids.

What he wasn’t liking one bit was the ‘subtle’ attempts of hitting her with a stray ball. Just yesterday, Watanabe had about three balls go ‘out of control’ and they all went right in Kagome’s direction. The first time it happened, Kagome was standing off to the side of the court looking over all the information for their trip to Ubugawa High. As he and the other members yelled out to her as the ball flew towards her head, Kuroo swore he could feel his heart freeze in his chest as he reached out in her direction as if he could somehow will the ball to stop.

Luckily, just as soon as he and the others shouted their warning, she stepped off to the side while still looking down at her clipboard. Instead of hitting her full on, the ball merely grazed her ear as it hit the wall behind her with a loud thwack. She turned her head to look at the ball and reached up to touch her ear with a small frown. “Hmmm…. Should have stepped aside a bit more.”

Kuroo and the others darted over to her to make sure she was all right, and she waved them off. “I’m fine, I just need to remember how big a volleyball is. Now go on, back to it.” After she was nearly hit a few more times, even the other third years began to look at Watanabe sideways. Kagome managed to break some of the tension that was growing between the team and the captain, though it probably didn’t help the situation between her and the petulant teen. “Oi, Watanabe-san. You really should work some more on your aim.”

The low growl that escaped the captain was hilarious and disconcerting. Kuroo talked with her as they and Kenma walked home that evening. Telling her that while he could appreciate the desire to needle the arrogant jerk, that maybe she should be a little more careful. Or at least make sure that she stayed close to him and the others when she did decide poke at the bear. However, there was a distant look in her eyes when she absently nodded at his suggestion.

He will admit he got frustrated when it seemed like she didn’t take his concern seriously, so he stopped her, placed both hands on her shoulders and forced her to look him in the eye. When he told her that he wasn’t kidding and that she needed to be careful, there was something almost dark in her gaze as she looked at him. It was like she wasn’t completely there with him mentally, but as she focused on him and the tone of his voice there was that deadly inferno that started to build. Somewhat like the look she gave Hojo at the restaurant. It was then he realized that he was not handling this the best.

After taking a deep breath and centering himself, he was able to address the situation calmly and managed to diffuse the potential ticking time-bomb before him. Telling her that it would make _him_ feel better if she used more caution in the future since he was uneasy with Watanabe’s sudden attempts to cause her harm. She sighed and agreed to his request.

Now it was a new day and that element of his worries was settled for the time being, while making a mental note to inquire about the shadows in her eyes later on when things weren’t so tense. He was somewhat terrified of what mayhem their petite manager was surely cooking up. There next to her on the floor as a duffle bag and she was standing in the middle of the gym looking somewhat smug—and if one could look far too innocent with a hint of smugness at the same time, Kagome was proving to be the poster child for it. As the team filtered inside, she told everyone to do their stretches and then they would head out for their run.

The team suffered through the ‘stair master’ and then Kagome led them in a different direction than before. She came to a stop before a large sports center that some of them had gone to before. Greeting the owner at the door, the group was led to a large gym with a giant sand pit with volleyball nets set up. He just knew that he was going to feel this tomorrow.

* * *

“All right everyone, you will be practicing here today. Break into two teams, and we’ll begin.”

The team shuffled about after removing their shoes and entered the pit. Kagome quickly got their water ready and positioned herself by the score board. Now all she had to do was sit back and enjoy the show—she really should have packed popcorn. As the boys gingerly walked across the sand and got into position, she was unsurprised that all five of the third years grouped to one side and pulled two of the second years along with them. On the opposing side there was Kuroo, Kai, Yaku, Kenma, Yamamoto, Fukunaga, and the remaining underclassmen.

Pulling a few over to help with the score board and to facilitate the match so that the teams had seven members each. The few that were temporarily ‘saved’ were grateful to not be placed in the game right away. Though Kagome hadn’t been in charge of their training for long, everyone was quickly learning that nothing she planned was painless. As the players got into position, the match was signaled to begin. It was then the difficulties that they had to combat became apparent, every team member quickly realized that jumping and receiving could equal them either on their rear-end or face first in the sand.

As they struggled to keep their balance while they played, they could hear snickers from the sidelines. Granted there were a lot of laughs from everyone directed at whomever toppled over at any given time, so it didn’t seem too terrible at first. Kuroo attempted to once more dive to receive the ball before it could hit the lumpy ground and found that he misjudged his foot placement and nearly buried his head in the sand. “Nice receive!” Getting up quickly and shaking the sand out of his hair for the hundredth time, he reclaimed his position on the court once more while hearing a delicate snort from the side.

“Start thinking about your feet placement and weight distribution! You _need_ to find your balance, then you’ll stop falling over as much! Eventually you will be able to move across the sand just as you do a wooden floor.”

“There’s no way anyone can do that!”

“Well you certainly won’t with _that_ attitude.”

Watanabe growled in frustration as he nearly got another mouthful of sand. “What is the point of this anyway? We are not _beach_ volleyball players!”

Kagome looked at him and sighed. Remembering her promise to Kuroo to try not to antagonize the volatile captain. While she shared his concern about the captain’s sudden desire to potentially hurt her, she knew that she could defend herself against the majority of anything he attempted. Now she was no master at fighting, and she was well aware of her limits, such as her saving grace was that Watanabe wasn’t trained in _any_ form of fighting. So why does she needle the boy? Well he’s a jerk-and-a-half, and he kind of reminded her of Inuyasha in a way with regards to wanting to desperately hold on to his ‘power’ over the group.

Shaking her head slightly, she looked at the rest of the team to see that some of them had a similar questioning look on their faces. “What are some of the main movements that you perform in volleyball?”

One of the rookies looked around nervously, “Receiving.”

Smiling in his direction, she nodded, “Yes that is one of them, and there is one other.”

“Jumping!”

“Yes, and those require the use of your legs. You all are good a receiving, there’s no denying that, but your balance could use improvement. Think of this as extreme resistance training. You are working on your balance, awareness, and endurance all at the same time.” Seeing the glow of understanding in everyone’s eyes made her grin. “Of course, having fun while working on those is always a plus. Now let’s get back to the game. If your legs aren’t burning yet, then you are not working hard enough.”

Kuroo stood tall and directed a sly grin towards her. “Ne, Kago-chan. Why don’t you show us how it’s done?”

Raising an eyebrow in response, she smirked, “Well I guess a small demonstration couldn’t hurt. Kenma? Could you give me a toss, but slightly lower than usual?”

Kenma gave a small nod in agreement, and waited for Kuroo to throw the ball to him. As he reached up and set the ball where it was needed, all eyes watched as Kagome darted towards the net, jumped up and spiked the ball down to the other side. The boys’ eyes widened as she didn’t wobble or falter in her approach. “See? With some practice you will get there. So, hop to it.”

“Kagome! How long did it take you to be able to do that?”

Turning towards Tora, “Hmm, almost a month, I think. If it wasn’t for how my sensei was training me in the sand, I would have figured out my balance a lot sooner. But who’s to say? I was pretty klutzy at the time. Anyway, don’t feel discouraged if you don’t figure this out right away. If it was easy it wouldn’t be a challenge.”

With a renewed sense of purpose, the boys focused on the task at hand. It soon turned into a competition with some of the boys to see who could wind up in the sand less. At the moment, Kenma was the clear winner in that regards and Tora was trailing in last place. She was sure that Kuroo had about half a pound of sand hiding in his hair thanks to his dives and Tora’s flailing.

‘All in all, this has been a good day I think.’

* * *

As the team returned to school to change and head home for the night, they began to feel the burn of their muscles. Collectively they all released a loud groan as they knew that it was going to be another night of soaking tired muscles and maybe a few extra stretches before collapsing into dreamland. In their dreams they were safe from the tiny tyrant that was their manager, and who were they to deny their beds sweet siren call?

Kagome waited at the gate for Kuroo and Kenma to arrive, giving farewells to some of the boys as they shuffled off. Once the duo met up with her, they all began their journey home. Kagome teased Kuroo, telling him that now he was going to have to find a brush and use it to get the rest of the sand out. She even offered to stop at one of the stores that they were passing to help him buy one since he probably didn’t know what a hairbrush even looked like.

Releasing a tired groan mixed with a chuckle, he took a playful swipe at the pixie. Looking over at Kenma and seeing that while he was obviously tired, he didn’t seem as tired as Kuroo felt. “Well, Kenma. I think it’s safe to say that you were the best at today’s practice compared to the rest of us.”

Kagome allowed herself to be caught by one of Kuroo’s lazy swipes and he tucked her into her now usual spot against his side. “He even seemed to enjoy the little competition that you guys started towards the end.”

“True, he even looked a little excited once he was declared the winner.”

Kenma kept his head down while looking at the game he was playing. “I did not.”

“Did too.”

“Did not.”

“Did too.”

“Did not.”

“Did—”

Kagome laughed at the two old friends before leaning forward to look around Kuroo to talk to Kenma. “But you can’t deny that you were the grand champion today, Kenma.”

Kenma didn’t respond right away, but she did catch a tiny smirk and satisfied spark in his eye. “Ah.”

“Oh, I see how it is! You will agree with _her_ , but argue against _my_ claim?”

“She was correct, you were not.”

“I was too.”

“Was not.”

“Was too.”

“Was not.”

“You two are hopeless.”

Simultaneously the two let go of their banter to cry foul. “Are not!”


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to these characters.

* * *

It was early in the morning at Nekoma High, and the campus was mostly empty except for the few teachers and students on campus. Two of those students being in the gym and readying themselves for some one-on-one training before the rest of the team arrived.

“I have to admit, Tetsu-kun. I’m surprised that you wanted to meet up this morning for practice. I figured you would be too tried for this after yesterday.”

“Ha-ha-ha. You are _so_ adorable Kago-chan. Yes, while you did try to kill the lot of us, I would never miss the opportunity to work on your receiving skills.”

Kagome released a groan of misery at his devious smirk. Receiving was never her strong suit when she played in elementary and junior high school. Then when you add the training that she underwent with Sesshoumaru, she probably got even worse. “This goes against every instinct I was forced to develop last year.”

Kuroo snorted in amusement at her complaints. She had great reflexes, but those skills had her moving away from the ball instead of towards it. They’ve been working a little on her volleyball talents every morning before practice, and on the days that Kenma didn’t join them they focused on her defensive skills. Kuroo knew he could only pester Kenma into extra practice so much, or he would mutiny. So, they compromised for just a few mornings a week.

Honestly, he’s certain that the only reason Kenma agreed to that much was because one, it was Kagome and her slowly evolving spikes interested him. And two, Kagome bribed him with mini homemade apple pies—whether they were made by her or Higurashi-mama didn’t matter, he took that bribe in a heartbeat. How she figured out Kenma’s weakness is something that Kuroo will never figure out, but every morning that Kenma was with him when they met on the way to the gym, she gave Kenma a smile and a thank you while handing over the wrapped treat.

Now he’s getting sidetracked, moving past his thoughts of how she gained the knowledge she has on Kenma, he brought his attention back to the task at hand. Kagome proved to be able to spike effectively, and much better now than when they were kids, but her receives were abysmal. As in non-existent. Every single time the ball was hit in her direction, she moved out of its path for it to fly by her. It was hilariously baffling to see. She could run towards the ball for a spike with no hesitation, but if the ball flies in her direction she moves away. Slowly they were trying to break her of this habit, and she was getting better. She at least hesitates for a moment now before moving away from the ball. A vast improvement compared to when they started last week.

“Come on, Kago-chan. I’ll send the ball right to you. Just keep your arms ready to receive the ball and bounce it back to me.”

She released a sigh and grumbled to herself as she got into position. Kuroo lightly hit the ball in her direction and watched as she started to move to the side before catching herself and shifting back to where she needed to be. The ball connected with her arms and bounced off to the right instead returning to him. She stood there for a moment as she looked down at her arms in shock. Lifting her head to look into Kuroo’s eyes, she started to glow with joy as she launched herself at him. “I did it!”

He caught her smaller form in a spinning embrace as he laughed at her excitement. “See? I knew you could do it!” Setting her back on the floor and giving her a quick kiss, they got ready to practice some more. As they went through the motions, Kagome did regress a few times, much to her dismay, and dodged the ball instead of receiving it. However, the fact that the majority of their practice saw her refraining from moving out of the balls path was a huge success—a little fact that he had to remind her of as she pouted. Once she is able to fully break herself of that habit, then they could start tackling her returns. It was going to be a long and frustrating process she just knew it.

As the time for the team to arrive drew closer, they called an end to Kagome’s perceived torture and began to get the gym ready for practice. While they set the table up by the net, Kagome noticed Kuroo wince slightly as he stood and rotated his shoulder.

* * *

Yamamoto led the way as he and several of his teammates headed towards the gym for practice. All of them chatting about various topics and how they barely had enough energy to eat dinner and complete their homework last night. Just as they approached the door to the gym, he heard a yelp come from beyond the doors that brought him to an abrupt stop causing the others to crash into his back.

“Oi! What’s the big idea?” Quickly motioning for Yaku and the others be quiet they could hear Kagome and Kuroo’s voices from the gym.

“Ow! Take it easy Pocket-Kago-chan!”

“Oh, don’t be such a big baby.”

“Big baby?! How about I dig my fingers into _you_ and see how you like it!”

“Well this is necessary until you loosen up. Would you _stop_ squirming already?”

“Are you sure you even know what you’re doing?”

“Yes! So, take a deep breath and let me work.”

The boys crowded the door and their faces turning redder the longer they listened. Kenma had wandered over not long after the team froze and rolled his eyes. Making his way to the front of the group he pushed the door open as the boys scrambled to stop him.

They tumbled into the gym and froze when they saw Kagome kneeling on top of the table with Kuroo leaning against it in a hunched position wincing. Her hands were on his left shoulder looking as if she was massaging it. Glancing over, she smiled at the group and greeted them before refocusing on her task.

Kuroo turned his head and took in the red, stunned faces in confusion until Kenma’s quiet voice drifted over to him. “Do you all honestly think that they would be doing anything dirty at school when practice is about to start?” At first Kuroo was baffled until he thought about the conversation that he and Kagome just had and his face began to infuse with color.

Thankfully Kagome didn’t seem to hear that comment because Kuroo was certain that she would either die of embarrassment, turn bright red and work them to the bone, or all the above. “Damn perverts,” he grumbled under his breath.

“Hmm? What was that?”

He flinched a bit, and this time not because she was working the knot out of his back. “N-No-Nothing!”

Kagome gave him a skeptical look as he peered back at her over his shoulder. “Uh huh…” He gave her an innocent expression that she did not believe for a second. She shook her head and went back to massaging the knot out of existence. Discretely using some of her healing abilities helped a great deal as well. It wasn’t like she could have just used her powers right off the bat, he would have noticed—ok, so watching him squirm was slightly entertaining as well. In her mind he deserved it! He refuses to stop calling her pocket sized.

Soon after the team regained their composure, they started their stretches and practice began.

* * *

When lunchtime finally rolled around Kuroo was grateful for the break. There was a great deal of panic from his classmates over the looming due date of Matsumoto-sensei’s dreaded assignment. Especially after he confirmed Kuroo’s worst fears that this project was only part one of three. Then as if that wasn’t bad enough, he dropped a lovely little comment that if the report on the origin story did not receive a passing grade, then you would have to redo the assignment on a different legend—And queue major freak out by the masses!

Boy was he ever glad that Kagome’s family shrine possessed the entire tale of the Shikon no Tama! Now he gets to sit back and enjoy the show that his classmates kindly put on. Don’t get him wrong, he could empathize with the ones that feared that all of their work would be useless. However, he couldn’t help but chuckle at the ones who procrastinated. As far as he could tell, they didn’t think that the report would be all that difficult and now they were realizing their folly.

Shaking his head while still chuckling, he gathered up his bento before heading out the classroom. As he headed down the hall towards Kenma and Kagome’s class, he heard a familiar voice call out to him. Freezing he cringed inwardly as he looked over his shoulder to sadly see an irritatingly familiar sight. He heaved a sigh and partially turned back to the girl.

‘Shit. Here we go again…’

* * *

Kagome was a little surprised that Kuroo had yet to show up to lead her and Kenma outside for lunch. Figuring that he probably got held up, she and Kenma decided to meet him at his class so that the three of them could go out and sit at the tree that they had essentially claimed. Slowly some of the other boys from the team had begun to join them at their spot and everyone used the time to bond and discuss practice or schoolwork.

As the duo walked down the hallway they stopped when they saw Kuroo up ahead, standing to the side and slightly frowning down at a girl in front of him. The girl seemed to be oblivious to Kuroo’s boredom and continued talk about something that they couldn’t hear.

“Hm. That must be Kitori-san.”

Kagome blinked a few times in confusion and glanced over at the taller boy. “Who?”

“Kitori Yuri, she’s a second year. And she’s been confessing her feelings to Kuroo since their first year. Kuroo keeps telling her that he doesn’t return her feelings, but she keeps trying about once a month.”

“Huh. Determined or clueless?”

“Dunno, maybe both.” They observed as the girl leaned closer to Kuroo and he stepped back a bit to keep her out of his space. She was a beautiful girl with glossy short brown hair, green eyes, and a figure that drew attention. However, there was a bit of an arrogant air about her from what they could see, and she didn’t seem to realize just how much Kuroo didn’t want her near him.

“We should probably go save him from her claws.”

Kenma smirked slightly at Kagome’s description, “Yup.”

They walked closer to the duo in time to hear Kuroo’s exasperated rejection as he ran a hand through his messy hair. “Kitori-san, I _still_ can’t accept your feelings. _And_ I’m in a relationship, so please find someone else to focus your attentions on.”

“W-Wha—?”

“Tetsu-kun. Are you ready? The others are probably already outside.” Kuroo could have jumped for joy when Kagome’s voice interrupted the monthly conversation that he was forced to endure. He had tried to be kind to Kitori in the past when he turned her down, but now he’s at the end of his rope and tired of the cycle that she created. Ignoring the frown that crossed the girl’s face, he turned his head to smile at his best friend and petite girlfriend. Giving a careless goodbye Kitori as she stood frozen in front of him, he walked over to the duo and pulled Kagome’s tiny frame into his side while dropping a kiss on her temple. The group then continued their way to the stairs and headed outside, leaving the stunned girl behind.

“Girl troubles, Tetsu-kun?”

“Ugh, don’t ask! Maybe she’ll leave me the hell alone now.”

“If she doesn’t, then maybe we can set her up with Watanabe-san.” Kuroo slowly grinned at her idea while Kenma blinked in thought. “Huh. That could work.”

Setting the conversation aside they joined the team at the base of the tree and sat down for lunch. Kuroo’s daily theft of Kagome’s food routine was for the most part, ignored by the group—though a few made bets as to whether or not Kagome would finally stab Kuroo’s hand with her chopsticks. As their food was nearly all consumed, she surprised everyone when she revealed that her extra bento box contained treats for everyone. Excitedly the boys called out their thanks as they dove in for their share.

After all the food disappeared, some of the boys sprawled out to doze in the afternoon sun—Kuroo being one of them as he claimed Kagome’s lap as his pillow once more. Kagome and a few others pulled out books to read, while Kenma once again played a game on his phone. It was a peaceful end to the lunch period, and a now common scene for the other students to see as they passed by.

* * *

Naoi was nervous and excited for his first day as the new coach for his old volleyball club. Granted if things panned out, he would only be the head coach for a short while, but he was looking forward to the opportunity. If Coach Nekomata comes out of retirement and returns, then he would gladly step aside for his old coach to take the reins of the team. It would only benefit the team and himself in the long run. Any chance to learn how to improve his skills as a coach is not something that he would be foolish enough to turn down.

He sat down with the Vice Principle to go over the current state of the team. It was surprising to learn that things had been in disarray until the club gained a new manager and she helped clean up the chaos. The Vice Principle spoke highly of the first year, saying that while he could tell that like himself, she was horrified by the mess but instead of running or complaining, she merely got to work.

“Higurashi-san even took on the role of becoming the unofficial conditioning coach until you could arrive since it was determined that there was too much responsibility placed upon the captain.” He watched as Naoi blinked in surprise and chuckled. “I heard a few of the members groaning about her being a ‘tiny tyrant’ as they dragged themselves home for the night.”

Naoi barked out a laugh at that, and looked forward to meeting the girl. Anyone who can wrangle a bunch of teenage boys in line is an asset in his book. He looked forward to discussing everything that she’s been having the team do. The final bell rang, and he didn’t have to wait too long until the spitfire showed up to the staff room. After they were introduced to each other, Kagome lead Naoi to the gym while explaining the conditioning routines that she had put the boys though.

He was a little surprised when she admitted that there was some tension between herself and the team captain. “I won’t go into too much detail, but I think a majority of it may be embarrassment. He asked me out before I joined the club and I turned him down. Then by taking over some of the responsibilities from him… well that didn’t help much. I will admit that I may not have handled his attitude the best, but hopefully now that you are here, we can all move past it.”

“I’m sure we can. Thank you for giving me a heads up about the situation. Also, I would like continue using your training methods and if you think of any more, I would love to hear them.”

Kagome looked up at him and smiled. “We can go back to the Sports Center tomorrow for practice if you like. I figure that having the boys’ practice there in the sand about twice a week would help them a great deal if you are all right with that.”

Releasing a laugh Naoi agreed. He was anxious to see the mayhem of the sand pit that she described with glee as they finally reached the gym doors. Stepping into the gym was a surreal moment for him. It was like going back in time, but seeing a different group of boys instead of his old teammates was quite the juxtaposition. Giving a big smile as the team gathered around to greet him, he felt ready for the crazy journey that he was about to begin.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to these characters.

* * *

Naoi swore that his ribs were bruised from all the mad cackles that he had been withholding the last few days. After observing the dreaded ‘stair master,’ he had to admit that he was thrilled that Coach Nekomata never dreamt up that misery for the team back in his day. And he was thrilled that as a coach he was exempt from participating in it now. Kagome had been having the team run this exercise daily, and he watched as she observed their progress closely while making notes in a notebook that she kept close. He was sure that the boys had no idea that in those pages she kept track of their progress and ideas for other training ideas that she was considering.

The fact that they weren’t looking at her in fear, proved that they had no inkling that she jotted down a timeline for when it would be a good time to increase the stair master from three repetitions to four. The hilarious part was that occasionally some of the boys would come down with what looked like an ofuda attached to them. He was a little confused at first until he heard Kagome giggle and look up at him with a shrug, “Grandpa gets bored at times.” Watching them try to peel off the paper or get one of the others to pull it off for them if they couldn’t reach it was entertaining to say the least.

As much fun as it was to watch the boys suffer with the stair master and the occasional blitz attack from the famed Higurashi elder, it had nothing on the sand pit. It was a comedy of errors that he wished that he had videotaped, because it would be great to re-watch on a gloomy day. The sheer number of times that the team either faceplanted, toppled over, or tripped was hysterical. Then with the younger players creating a game out of their tumbles within the volleyball game, it was a blast to watch. Yes, he knows that he should try to rein them in and make them be more serious about their workout, but they were working plenty hard. Allowing them the levity that they had embraced just seemed to give them more energy to work with.

Of course, on the other side of all of this was the third years and their somewhat lack of participation. He was well aware that there was tension between Kagome and the captain—she disclosed that at the very beginning. And she has been doing her best to keep her interactions with Watanabe at a minimum so that additional problems don’t flare up. Beyond that, the underlying tension and disconnect between the upperclassmen and the second and first years was a surprise.

Well there wasn’t a whole lot he could really do about that now besides making sure that the team doesn’t implode. With the Inter-High Prelims in just a few short weeks, it was a bit too late to get the third years to blend into the rest of the team. And to be honest, he gets the feeling that the underclassmen would be hard pressed to trust their seniors and were merely counting down the days until the third years retired. It was sad to see, he remembered looking up to his senpai and being sad on the day that they retired from the club. Regardless, he would do what he could to pull the ranks together into a cohesive team.

The training trip to Ubugawa High tomorrow would be a good place to start. He would have the members switch out often to give everyone a chance to work together and change the team dynamics. It would be a good way to see where their weaknesses currently are when facing another team, and make sure everyone gets some practice of course.

After observing the morning practice, he was aware of how well the underclassmen are shaping up together as a team—he also informed them that they would need to start thinking about who should be the next captain and vice-captain. The third years not showing up is a bit problematic. It is difficult to really work with the team and get everyone to work together when several of the members only participate in half of the practices. That would have to be another issue that he will need to address.

The other issue is getting Kagome to relax a bit, the poor girl had been fretting over the forms, schedules, and other plans for the weekend relentlessly. This being her first overnight training trip, and not having another manager to learn from is more than likely adding to her anxiety. He’ll have to let her know that it’s ok if things don’t go smoothly at first, and that she’ll make herself sick if she stresses herself out too much.

* * *

Once again, the team was gathered outside by the tree for lunch. Soaking in the warm sun and the cool breeze. This was probably one of the last few weeks that would be comfortable enough for everyone to sit outside lunch. As summer drew closer, the humidity and heat would increase to the point that it would be too unbearable to be out.

The boys were sprawled out and talking over whom of the second years should take on the leadership role. Kagome left them to their debate, listening with only half an ear while she poured over her lists for the weekend. She already checked the list over about ten times at this point, but she just couldn’t shake the worry that she was forgetting something.

Kuroo would occasionally check on her as she obsessed over her notes. Watching her as she chewed on her bottom lip and one hand tugged and fiddled with the end of her braid. He frowned as he decided that it was time to step in and save her from herself. So being the super awesome boyfriend that he was, he reached out and snatched the notebook from her hands and quickly sat on top of it. Normally he would have tossed it to one of the others, but she would have seen that and they’ve all gained a healthy dose of fear for their miniature manager. One glare from her would have them caving and passing the stolen item back almost immediately. No, this would be an act that he would have to brave on his own. As terrifying as she could be, he was the only one with enough courage to stand up to her—though the others claim that it’s stupidity, even Kenma says that which is just rude if you asked him!

Sitting with a proud smirk on his face and his arms folded across his chest, he watched as Kagome blinked at her now empty hands in shock. She slowly raised her head and stared at him as a twitch began to form under her left eye. Opening and closing her hands as she began to growl at the arrogant rooster.

“Tetsu-kun…. Give it back.”

There was a silence amongst the crew as he sat there and pretended to consider her demand. “Hmm. No.”

“Give me my notebook!”

“Nope. You’ve looked over the plans and lists for the trip enough. If you missed something then it isn’t that important. So, _you_ are taking the rest of the day off.”

“You can’t do that!”

“Can and did.”

The team watched as the duo squabbled. Kagome tried several times to get Kuroo to release her coveted notebook as Kuroo laughed at her attempts. “I think Kuroo should be the team captain.” The boys looked at Yaku and asked for his reasoning. “Beyond everything that he’s done to help the team. He’s currently the only one who can challenge Kagome and live to tell the tale.” Nodding in agreement, they turned their attention back to see Kuroo had somehow pinned a pouting Kagome in his lap with his arms around her and his head resting on top of hers.

“…I hate you.”

“Love you too, Kago-chan!”

“…Stupid Rooster Head…” Quietly the boys snickered and hoped that she wouldn’t hear—her eyes cutting in their direction proved otherwise and they knew that they would all pay later.

* * *

It was early on Saturday and the team all gathered on campus for the short bus ride to Ubugawa High. Kagome was feeling anxious. She was still worried about missing something in the preparation for the trip, but she was also wanting to see how the other teams played. It would be a great opportunity to see how the boys were improving, and how the training should be adjusted in the future. The team was already showing very slight signs of growth which made her happy. They probably couldn’t tell the difference at this point, and that’s not surprising given that it’s only been a little over a week.

The drive was mostly quiet as a majority of the team decided to rest as much as they could. Kagome looked over the schedule for that day and saw that they should arrive by about nine o’clock and after everyone unloaded their bags, they should be warming up by ten. The practice games would proceed throughout the day, pausing for a light lunch and breaks, and then they were free for personal practice and dinner.

‘I’ll have to keep an eye on Tetsu-kun and the others with the personal practice. They may forget to eat dinner otherwise.’

Upon arrival, they were greeted by Ubugawa’s Coach, Captain, and Manager. Splitting off everyone carried their bags to their designated rooms and Kagome was introduced to Miyanoshita Eri and Ootaki Mako, the managers from Ubugawa and Shinzen. Mako was a year older than herself and Eri, and seemed like she possessed a very sweet and gentle personality. Eri was a bubbly girl that was thrilled to finally meet the other managers of the Fukurodani Group. The girls began to trade contact information and talk about their challenges in managing a group of rowdy boys that were volleyball addicts.

They wandered back down from the room in just in time to hear that the bus for Fukurodani Academy had just arrived. Eri told Mako and Kagome that she would see them later as she darted off to help welcome the new arrivals. Kagome was very interested in the team that Kuroo grudgingly spoke highly of, especially Bokuto, the one he referred to as an ‘annoying horned owl.’ Anyone that Kuroo would call irritating is someone that she wanted to meet. Maybe she could trade tips with Bokuto on how to annoy her Rooster Headed boyfriend? Giggling softly to herself, she followed Mako to the gym where they began to prepare for the long day of practice matches.

The boys were loud and rowdy as they all piled into the large gym. Their voices echoed while bouncing off of the high walls and ceiling as they greeted each other and shouted promises of victory. The loudest was probably the teen that strolled in with grey-white hair with black streaks that seemed to defy gravity. Actually, the more she looked the more the style reminded her of an owl—maybe he was the infamous Bokuto the Kuroo griped about?

“Kuroo! I’m going to bust through _all_ of your blocks this weekend! Hey, hey, hey!”

“Eh? We’ll see about that, you obnoxious owl!”

Kagome smiled as she watched the interaction. ‘Yup, that definitely has to be Bokuto.’


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to these characters.

* * *

Kuroo was feeling a bit twitchy about training. He was excited, and desperately wanted to practice against the other teams. Especially since Coach Naoi informed them on the bus this morning as they were leaving that he would be switching everyone frequently to give everyone time to play and so he could see how everyone played against the other schools. It made sense, the third years would be retiring from the club soon so the more chances that the soon to be _new_ team would have to practice the better.

Last year he didn’t get to participate much since the upperclassmen had seniority, so the only real practice he got was with Bokuto and whichever setter they could snag. Sometimes Kai and Yaku would join in and a few others, but once it because known that he and Bokuto would practice nonstop they all began to scatter. Not sure why.

So yes, he was thrilled to be training with the other teams, he was also nervous. Now he was feeling this for two reasons, but they all surrounded a certain blue-eyed petite manager. First issue he had, Kagome was gorgeous and he was not blind nor oblivious like she was to the looks that she received on a daily basis. That little fact has not changed now as he could see all the eyeballs that followed her in the gym, he would be addressing that momentarily.

The second and more pressing issue, is Kagome and her notebook. It’s a new one, and he tried to take a peek at it on the bus ride here. There were tabs for every player, but only one tab just for the third years. He was certain that there were notes about every member’s current status, but he couldn’t _read_ it! She wrote in some kind of code that made no sense! When she caught him trying to read over her shoulder, she gave him an evil smug smirk and turned back to her scribbles while giggling. So, either the notebook was a fake to confound him and the others if they tried reading her notes again, or it’s real and she’s being cruel. The jury is still out on that verdict.

Well, there’s not much he can do about the now dubbed ‘tiny tyrant’ and her notebook of doom. He can however start letting some of the guys know that she’s _his_ tiny tyrant. And now that his warmup is complete, he plans to do just that. Walking up behind her he wrapped his arms around her small form and leaned down to rest his head on her shoulder to see that she had the dreaded notebook in hand.

“Kago-chan, tell me honestly. Do those scribbles even mean anything? Or are you just getting us back from when we swiped your notebook yesterday after practice and saw the horrors it contained?”

She released a delicate snort and he watched her roll her eyes at him. “Like I’m going to tell you anything.”

“What? Why not?”

“Simple, I know you were the ringleader in that little heist yesterday, just like when you stole my lists during lunch. Also, I know you well enough to know that _not_ knowing is bugging you more than anything.”

He frowned at her as she reached up to muss up his already messy hair and smirked at him. “You are just cruel.”

“Yup! Now go on and get ready. The practice matches will start soon. You all are up against Shinzen first.”

He heaved a dramatic sigh and gave her a kiss on her cheek as he straightened up and turned back to the others. Hearing and seeing the looks of disappointment from the other boys made him smile as he walked over to Kenma and the others with a spring in his step. Bokuto’s squawk of “What! No fair!” was just the icing on the cake for him.

“Are you done marking your territory, Kuroo?”

He grinned down at Yaku. “At the moment, yes.”

Kenma shook his head at his friend. “You’re lucky that Kagome is clueless to your antics. Otherwise she might be tempted to do something to your lunch. Then we would have to choose new captain.”

The nearby Nekoma members perked up at this news. “Eh? Kagome is cooking lunch today?”

Turning his head towards Yamamoto, he nodded. “She’s scheduled to help with lunch today and then breakfast.”

The boys looked at each other and lowered their voices and huddled together as they conspired. “We need to get to the cafeteria first.”

“We can’t run there, that would be a huge sign to the others.”

Kuroo grinned, “We’ll just keep an eye on the clock, then _casually_ start making our way over as soon as we can. Agreed?”

As the boys nodded in confirmation, a call for the practice matches to begin rang out.

* * *

Kagome stood by Coach Naoi taking notes on the team’s progress as they played against Shinzen High. The starting lineup was essentially the same team made of the third years as when they played in the sand—and to her eyes they were playing just as poorly as when they went against the rookie team. Their receives were mostly on point, as expected with Nekoma, but there was very little passion in their plays.

It was like they were merely going through the motions and then frustrated when their plan of attack failed—in fact that was the most enthusiasm that they showed, irritation. Why weren’t they watching their opponents more? While Shinzen was great with their combination plays, there were ways around those attacks if they would take the time to watch their movements. She glanced up at Naoi and saw the slight frown on his face as he called for a timeout. Giving the boys some pointers and telling them that while watching the ball is good, they needed to be aware of their opponents as well. They returned to the match after having some water and much to their dismay, the team on the court still failed to take the coach’s words to heart.

“Well, I guess we’ll be trying another lineup in the next match.” Naoi glanced over to the warmup area and thought about the members that he would choose as the current set wrapped up. The score finished at 15 to 25 in Shinzen’s favor, and the entire team proceeded to do their penalty lap around the large gym. As they waited for the team to finish their lap, Kagome and Naoi looked over the stats that she recorded from the set.

“There does seem to be slight improvement compared to their games against the rookies, but it’s hard to really judge that against the other teams since we haven’t seen the team play against them before.”

“Yeah, that’s where we are at a disadvantage. But if you are still noticing a small improvement in how they are playing, then I’ll take it. Now we’ll have to see how the rookies fair against Ubugawa High.” Kagome nodded in agreement, she wanted to see how the boys played in this next set. They had been working so hard and growing into a promising team. Now it was time to put that work to the test and discover just where else they need to develop and improve.

* * *

Finally, it was their turn to play, Kuroo and the others were getting excited—well, Kenma didn’t really care, but he was interested in the challenge that their new opponents would bring. As the boys lined up and got into position, they braced themselves for the strong serve that Ubugawa was known for. As the set progressed, the boys vaguely became aware that they felt steadier on their feet and their recovery from their receives were quicker.

“Looks like the torture that Kago-chan puts us through is paying off.” He could feel the smug satisfaction radiating from where she stood on the sidelines.

It was a close game and both teams fought tooth and nail every step of the way. Soon they reached the match point in Ubugawa’s favor with Nekoma trailing closely behind at 22 points. After an intense rally, the opposing team won the coveted final point and Nekoma had to pay the penalty lap once more. While the loss was disappointing, Kuroo felt proud that the team fought as well as they did. The ‘rookie team’ as they dubbed themselves, put up a better fight than the third-year team did and they still had room to grow.

Throughout the rest of the morning the teams played each other and Coach Naoi kept his promise to swap players frequently. Granted there were some difficulties with some of the rookies playing with the upperclassmen which was disappointing for the new coach to observe. He needed the entire team to work together as a cohesive unit—that would be the best way for them to succeed in the upcoming tournaments.

It seemed that after watching the rookie team play and be more successful in their match up, that the third years were feeling a bit threatened. From what he had observed, the upperclassmen operated under the assumption that they were the superior players. But the rookies had the benefit of practicing more each day, and from what he saw during the past few days, they put more effort into the conditioning than their older counterparts.

During the first half of the fourth set, some of the boys noticed that Kagome left the gym with Ubugawa’s manager. Making eye contact with each other the rookies all nodded discretely as they began to keep an eye on the clock. Once the sets began to wrap up, and lunch was about to begin, the underclassmen of the team began the casual exit of the gym.

Unfortunately for Kuroo, Bokuto took notice that for once he wasn’t hanging around longer as he normally would. Feeling curious at this sudden change he grabbed his team’s new setter Akaashi Keiji.

“Bokuto-san, what are we doing?”

“Kuroo-kun _never_ leaves practice early, so we are going to see what he and the other cats are up to!” He dragged Akaashi out of the gym, and as the exited the doors they were just in time to see the Nekoma crew start sprinting in the direction of the cafeteria. Bokuto’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline as he shared a look of stunned confusion with Akaashi before they both darted after the sneaky felines.

* * *

Kagome was having fun laughing with Eri as they traded stories about their teams’ antics. Eri just told her about the time when Goura-san was working on his serves and was startled by one of the other boys. He was apparently mid-swing when one of the others let out a loud shriek for reasons that she didn’t see and it threw him off as he connected with the ball. It ricocheted off of the wall across from him and hit another team member in the back, knocking him over into the ball cart.

The two girls were giggling at the mayhem when all of a sudden, the doors of the cafeteria flew open. Blinking in surprise they leaned their heads over to see a group of red and black clad forms scrambling to grab a food tray.

Shaking her head at her team, Kagome began to start serving the food. “I thought that you boys would be too busy practicing to even think about food. Especially you, Tetsu-kun.”

“Well we are growing boys, Kago-chan! We need fuel if we are going to practice at our best.”

Kagome laughed and rolled her eyes as the rest of the boys nodded in agreement. Just as she was about to give a retort, the doors swung open again.

“Hey, hey, hey! So, this is where you ran off to, Kuroo-kun! Lunch must be something special, cause I’ve never seen you leave practice so quick!”

Kuroo released a groan as he looked over his shoulder to see a familiar loud Ace with a new player at his side. “Bokuto.” The two new commers were introduced to everyone as they all gathered their food. As the majority of the group gave their appreciation to the two managers and headed off to a table, Kuroo brought up the rear with Bokuto and Akaashi.

“Bokuto-san, I’ve heard that you are one of the top Ace’s in Japan. That’s pretty impressive.”

Bokuto perked up, gave a proud grin and laughed. “It is, isn’t it!”

“Kago-chan, don’t inflate his ego.”

“It may be a bit late for that.”

“Akaashi! What’s that supposed to mean?”

Kagome smiled softly as she watched Kuroo and Bokuto bicker with Akaashi acting like he was an unwilling participant. ‘Those three are going to be attached at the hip for practice, I think.’ The new trio of friends wandered off to a table to eat their food as more players began to trickle into the room.

Sitting down near the rest of Nekoma, the boys began to dig into their food with gusto. Bokuto and Akaashi froze for a moment and stared at their food in awe. Both teens then narrowed their eyes in suspicion at the happily munching cats around them.

“So, _this_ is why you all ran out of the gym when you did, eh Kuroo-kun? You wanted to get to the food before anyone else! How could you be so cruel and hide this from me!”

“Why would I tell you anything you annoying owl? Oi you bastard! Don’t be stealing my food!”

“Well you weren’t eating it.”

“I hadn’t gotten to it yet!”

“Oi! Kuroo! That was mine!”

A few seats away the Nekoma crew smirked into their food as they watched the battle in the corner of their eyes. ‘ _Kagome would love to see this_.’ Akaashi merely blinked at the duo and then moved his tray over a bit to keep it out of the battle.

* * *

Practice continued through the afternoon and soon it was done for the day. The teams were given the freedom to practice on their own if they wished or take the rest of the evening off. Kenma slinked off somewhere before he could be caught by Kuroo for extra practice. Kagome was finishing up some of her notes and reviewing the scores with Naoi. After they discussed the team’s progress and how they could move forward, Naoi was called to join the other coaches for dinner and drinks. Kagome on the other hand was quickly hijacked by a certain rooster head saying that she needed to help him practice with Bokuto and Akaashi.

She was a little nervous about how exactly she was expected to assist. If Kuroo thought that she was going to try to block or receive _any_ of Bokuto’s spikes, then he was sadly mistaken—she preferred to keep her arms attached, thank you very much! Yes, she knew that technically her arms wouldn’t rip off, but she was well aware that her defensive skills were pitiful as Kuroo was _so_ kind to point out.

“And just how exactly do you want me to help you three practice?”

“I need more practice in blocking, so you can spike with Bokuto. Then we can work a bit on receives again.”

“I hate you…”

“Aww, don’t say that little Kago-chan! It’ll be fun!”

“I’m fine with the spiking. It’s the receives and you know it you sadist!”

Kuroo cackled as he led her over to where Akaashi and Bokuto were waiting. The two teens looked on curiously as the couple approached. Kuroo proudly announced that Kagome would be practicing with them and she was a pretty good spiker. Hearing that caused Bokuto to gain a gleam of interest as he looked in Kagome’s direction.

“Oi! Don’t get any ideas you stupid owl, she’s mine.” Kuroo scowled at his friend as he tucked Kagome into his side. Kagome rolled her eyes and muttered ‘rooster head’ under her breath as Bokuto sputtered and pouted at Kuroo. Akaashi released a sigh as he and Kagome wrangled the squabbling pair into formation. For two players that were obsessed with practicing and playing volleyball, they sure got distracted easily.

The quartet practiced together for nearly an hour, and the Fukurodani members were impressed with Kagome’s spiking abilities. Kuroo was able to block Bokuto and Kagome’s spikes, much to their annoyance, especially after he would gloat at stopping them. When Kuroo declared that it was time to work a bit on receiving, Kagome let out a groan of misery. Thankfully, Bokuto and Akaashi where kind enough to lend a hand in helping her improve. While she had a long way to go still, she felt like she was on the right track. Glancing at the clock, Kagome let out a squeak that caught the boys’ attention.

“We need to wrap this up! The cafeteria will close soon and if we don’t get there before then, we won’t get any dinner.” Looking at her in horror at the idea of not getting any food, the group scrambled to race out the door.

All in all, it was a great day.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to these characters.

* * *

The final day of the training weekend at Ubugawa High flew by faster than most would have liked. Kagome had a great time getting to know all the other managers, especially Suzumeda Kaori and Shirofuku Yukie from Fukurodani Academy. She and Eri were both grateful to learn a few pointers from the other three. It was also amazing to see just how much Yukie loved food—and how much she could eat without getting sick. ‘Pretty sure she could out eat some of the guys… She’s got to have a blackhole for a stomach or something.’

Sadly, there wouldn’t be time for another training weekend before the Inter-High Prelims, but the girls all promised to keep in touch. Especially if Eri and Kagome needed tips on how they should prepare for the tournament. Kagome knew that her team was looking forward to the Prelims, especially the retirement of the third years.

She also knew that Coach Naoi was more than a little irked that the upperclassmen’s attitudes—well mostly Watanabe’s attitude. The other third years weren’t _as_ bad when the current captain was elsewhere, but the fact that they were followers of his edict didn’t help them in that regards. Therefore, none of them will be missed when they finally retire from the club.

Naoi had briefly considered pulling some of the third years out of the starting lineup, but he knew that would cause more trouble. At this point, it was less of a headache to simply allow them to finish their time in the club at the tournament. That way they’ll hopefully retire peacefully, he couldn’t imagine what would happen if they tried to stay and the underclassmen then had to give them the boot. Pretty sure their resident Tiny Tyrant would be more than happy to make their stay absolutely miserable until they ran away screaming.

Smirking to himself, Naoi had to laugh at the title that was given to the team’s manager. As far as he could tell, none of the boys had alerted her to her new nickname. And to be honest, he’s not sure how she would react to it once she did learn of its existence. She chucks a ball at Kuroo’s head every time he calls her pocket sized. So, she might have a similar reaction to being called ‘tiny.’ The ‘tyrant’ part she might actually approve of—and then punish them for.

In fact, if memory serves, he overheard Kagome muttering to herself on the last day of their training weekend. Something about another conditioning routine that she was thinking about adding? She was also chuckling to herself as she watched the team play and scribbled in her notebook. ‘I think the boys were right to call that the ‘Notebook of Doom,’ because I’m certain she’s dreaming up something to make them cry for mercy.’

Well whatever exercise she dreams up, it will only benefit the team in the end. Even he could see that the rookies had improved since she took over their conditioning. ‘I’ll have to talk with Coach Nekomata about her when he comes back. I’m sure he’ll enjoy hearing all about it.’

* * *

The week following the trip to Ubugawa High flew by for Kuroo. He turned in his report on Wednesday, and felt confident that he wasn’t going to have to redo it—some of his classmates on the other hand… well judging by the pale sickly looks on their faces it wasn’t going to go well for them.

Not his problem really, they should have taken the assignment seriously like the majority of the class did. He’s not sure what Kai and Yaku did for their reports, but he didn’t worry about it much. They’re both smart enough to get a head start and finish the assignment like he did.

The chimes of the school bell rang throughout the grounds, signaling the end of the day. Kuroo gathered up his books and headed out for practice. Given that it was Friday and the Prelims started next weekend, they were going to try to get in as much training as they could—even on Saturday. They still had a lot of growing to do. Kagome mentioned that she sees a lot of potential in the underclassmen, and that was simply because we all _wanted_ to grow and be stronger.

_“Desire for growth and the will to put in the work is half the battle. It’s when you become complacent and settled—that’s when you lose. At least, that’s what my sensei sort of said.”_

_“What do you mean sort of?”_

_Looking up at him, she smiled sheepishly as she scratched her cheek. “Eh? Well…Maru-sensei had the ability to say it like that. He just generally didn’t. Actually, he said something along the lines of,_ ‘Hn, I refuse to waste my time with fools. If you wish to learn then do not disappoint me.’ _”_

_Kuroo gave her an incredulous look, “How did you get all that from t-t-that?!”_

_“Well you know, two full sentences were a lot for him. You just had to learn to read between the lines.”_

_“Uh huh…”_

Kuroo shook his head as he laughed at the memory and entered the club room.

* * *

Kagome couldn’t contain her sigh of exasperation. The practice session for Saturday finished without a hitch, but the third years were not showing much growth or improvement in their plays. Once again, they were just going through the motions and putting in just enough effort to be decent. At first, she couldn’t figure out why on earth Coach Naoi didn’t remove them from the starting lineup. Now that she sits back and thinks about it, she can see the logic.

There’s simply not enough time before the Prelims to make such a move. After that sort of shake up, it would take time for the team to settle and that was time that they didn’t have. Also, one would have to worry if the upperclassmen would try to stay after the tournament just to spite the rest of the team.

Granted the team could demand their retirement, but that could cause other issues. And Watanabe seems spiteful enough to cause as much grief as possible if his retirement was demanded instead of his decision. As much as she hates to admit it, sometimes keeping your head down and feigning the status quo was the better path to follow. ‘There’s only one week left. Then the work will truly begin.’

Blinking in surprise when the chime of her phone interrupted her thoughts, she pulled out the device to see that she received a text. As she read the message from Kuroo asking about if they were still on for their date tomorrow, she smiled before sending her response.

Kuroo looked at his phone and grinned as he read, ‘Yes. What do you say to having a picnic behind the shrine?’ He gave her a reply approving of the plan, and wandered off to the bathroom to clean up for the evening.

* * *

She was running out of time and feeling almost frantic. Kagome was desperately trying to finish cooking and get it all packed up before Kuroo arrived, but nothing seemed to be going her way. It was like no matter what she did, she was running just a bit behind. Something that she was finding to be incredibly frustrating to say the least.

Glancing at the clock once more as she finished packing the picnic basket, she scrambled to grab the blanket for them to sit on as a knock from the front door rang out. Kagome quickly dropped the blanket down by the basket on the kitchen table and sprinted to open the door to see a familiar towering grinning form.

“Hey, Kago-chan. Were you so excited to bask in my presence that you just had to run to greet me?”

“Oh, ha-ha-ha. You are _hilarious_ , Tetsu-kun.”

“Part of my charm. You ok though?”

Giving him a smile as she shook her head and waved him into the house. “Yes, I’m fine. Just one of those mornings were no matter what, I feel like I’m just a hair behind.”

“Ah. Hate those days, but they could always be worse.”

Kagome looked at him in mock horror with her eyes wide, “You did _not_ just say that phrase!”

He blinked in confusion, “What’s the—”

Suddenly there was another knock that cut off Kuroo’s response causing the two to look at the door. “Well, the jinx has begun.” She began to head for the door to greet the unexpected guest.

“Oh, come on Kago-chan. It can’t be that—”

Whipping around she pointed at him before he could finish, “Don’t you _dare_ finish that sentence!”

Kuroo chuckled as he raised his hands in surrender. Kagome shot him a look before turning back to the door and pulled it open. And beyond the door way revealed that last person she wanted to see, causing her to curse Kuroo mentally for his big mouth.

“Oh… Hi Hojo-san…”

Behind her Kuroo winced slightly as he knew that she would hold this over his head for a while. ‘Well better start redeeming myself and go play the knight in shining armor.’ He began to walk to stand behind his petite girlfriend in time to hear Hojo inquire about her health and if she wanted to go out to see a movie with him.

It was official, this guy was an idiot. Here he had thought that Bokuto was a simpleton, but this Hojo kid has him beat! “Kago-chan, are you ready to go?” Kuroo pretended that he didn’t notice that Hojo was there as he wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed her when she looked up at him. Once he heard the sputtering before him at their display, he turned his eyes from Kagome’s blushing face to the indignant male staring at them in horror.

“Oh, it’s you again. Hojo-san, was it?”

“W-w-what are _you_ doing here?!”

Frowning down at the teen, Kuroo rolled his eyes. “I’m here to take my girlfriend on a date. Not that it’s any of your business.” Turning his attention back to the girl in question, he could feel the slight vibrations her body gave off as she tried desperately to contain her giggles. Her eyes totally gave her away, they always did.

With a sly grin Kuroo decided that he was going to go in for the kill, and she will probably strangle him later for this ruse. “Ne, Kago-chan. If we don’t hurry up, we won’t have time for that _massage_ that you promised me before our reservations.”

Pulling the now bright red-faced girl back into the house with a careless goodbye to the teen who was now frozen like a stone, Kuroo shut the door in Hojo’s face. Soon after the door closed, he could hear a thud and a cry from the outside. “Hm, I think that went well.”

Kagome was of two minds about the whole situation—maybe three. She was miffed that Hojo once again appeared and wanted to take her on a date when she made it clear that she was seeing someone _and_ Kuroo said that they were engaged. Granted that engagement was only between children, but Hojo probably didn’t know that. Now she was grateful that Kuroo once again stepped in to make it clear to Hojo that she was not available, especially since he jinxed the situation by saying _that_ phrase when things were already a little off.

Honestly, the boy should really know better than to do that! And he claims that Bokuto is an airhead? Well the two of them are twins in that case! The final issue, while again she was grateful that he chased off Hojo—though that might only be temporary at this rate given the delusional boy’s history. Did Kuroo _have_ to imply that they were going to do something p-p-perverted?!

Hearing his voice and seeing that proud-sly-grin as he looked at her just brought all those thoughts to a head. “I don’t know if I should laugh, die of embarrassment, strangle you, or all the above!”

Kuroo wasn’t a complete idiot. He knew he should be slightly worried for his safety, but he was enjoying himself way too much and just cackled as he guided her back to the kitchen. “Well, while you contemplate that. Let’s sneak out the back and go have our picnic. I’m starving and the food smells great.”

“Why should you be allowed to eat any of it? I might just strangle you _now_!”

He smirked down at her as he gathered up the blanket and basket. “You wouldn’t kill me without letting me have a last meal, would you? That’s just cruel Kago-chan! Besides, who else is going to protect you from that kid?”

Giving her towering boyfriend a mock scowl, she threw her hands up in frustration. “ARG!”

* * *

The couple was able to sneak out of the house and into the small woods behind the shrine without the new statue seeing them make their escape. Something that Kuroo could not stop laughing about as they set up the blanket and food in the clearing that Kagome had found as a child. The picnic went off without a hitch, and the food was gleefully consumed.

Kuroo was particularly thrilled at the fish that was prepared. Kagome didn’t cook the grilled salted mackerel pike that he adored since she wasn’t quite confident in her abilities to pull that off yet. She was however, planning to secretly practice here and there with her mother—her goal was to be able to cook the dish for his birthday this year as a surprise. At least she had several months to iron out the kinks.

Regardless, all the various dishes disappeared into happy bellies, and Kuroo then sprawled across the blanket to nap in the warm afternoon sun. Kagome teased him saying that he looked like a well-fed cat, sleeping off its lunch. He just grinned and gave a dismissive wave before snatching her hand and tugging her down to join him. Falling with a squeak of surprise, she blinked before rolling her eyes and curled into his side. Her head rested on his chest, she smiled as she relaxed and listened to his heartbeat.

Kuroo hummed slightly as he wrapped his arm around her waist to keep her close. “Looks like I’m not the only napping cat, now am I?”

His voice seemed to rumble in his chest and surround her, which caused a shiver to travel up and down her spine. Feeling the movement in his arm Kuroo slit his eyes open with a slow grin. ‘Well, that’s interesting…’

Kagome, realizing what had just happened, cringed slightly as her faced reddened. She knew that there was no way he didn’t notice her reaction to his voice, and her secret was now out. ‘Shit!’


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to these characters.

* * *

The days flew by and before the volleyball club knew it, the Inter-High Prelims were here—and over. Team Nekoma made it passed the first round, but were knocked out during the second. It was strange to feel sad yet indifferent to the results. The third years had improved somewhat, but overall, they stayed in the same mindset that they have always had. Simply going through the motions as they played, and arrogant to believe that that should be more than enough. Never once realizing that they stifled themselves by assuming that they could overtake their opponents with very little effort. It was a mindset that was not based in any logic. Their practices with the Fukurodani Academy Group should have shown them the error of that thought process.

While the rookies had some concern about the upperclassmen deciding to remain in the club instead of retiring, those fears were replaced with trepidation for the week following the Prelim. The week before the tournament began, Coach Naoi tournament was completed.

_“All members will be required to participate in all morning and afternoon practices. Also, your stair master sets will be increased from 3 to 4 sets daily. We will continue with using the sand pit on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with the possibility of increasing to 3 days a week depending on the basketball club. If they need the gym more, then we’ll go to the Sports Center.”_

_He paused in his reading of the list of changes for effect. Smirking to himself slightly as the majority of the team paled and quietly groaned in misery. The third years glanced at each other wide eyed, and breathed a sigh of relief that they would not have to suffer the same fates as their underclassmen. Retirement was a beautiful thing in their minds—Watanabe grinned in relief that he would not have to endure any of the changes that were to come._

_‘Well, Kagome was right. This definitely caused the third years to think twice about remaining. Too bad for the rookies that these changes aren’t just for show.’ Grinning at the teenagers in front of him, he brought the practice session to an end and dismissed them for the day._

Needless to say, as soon as the tournament was done, the third years gratefully confirmed that they were retiring and walked off into the sunset—leaving the Nekoma team reborn in their wake.

* * *

The newly formed volleyball team were loving the freedom that they now had from their senpai. However, they had to be honest, that feeling of freedom was short lived. For once they allowed themselves to truly enjoy the fact that the third years would not be joining the club ever again, they also somehow forgot about the petite shadow-cat that lurked around the edges—waiting to pounce. And pounce she did, they had the scratches to prove it.

All of the aches and pains that they felt in the beginning when Kagome took over their conditioning, paled in comparison to their suffering now. Turns out that Coach Naoi’s announcement wasn’t just to help scare off the departing third years—it was all true. But that wasn’t the only bombshell that was dropped upon them. The reminder that final exams were looming on the horizon caused several of the members to flinch in horror. Especially with the announcement that any failed exams would come with dire consequences.

One being that any individual whom failed an exam would miss some or all of the home turf training weekend because supplemental exams would be held at the same time. The other being, that their resident Tiny Tyrant would be sure to _help_ them make up for the missed training time. The fear of what kind of diabolical horrors that their beloved manager could unleash upon them made the few struggling academic cats scramble for any study partner that they could latch onto. That person happened to be Kenma, who quietly informed them that he studied with the very person that they currently feared.

Slowly the panicked eyes of Yamamoto and the other first years turned to their potential savior and tormentor. Kagome, feeling the weight of the attention that was placed on her, looked up from her notebook of doom to see the trepidation in front of her.

Kuroo cackled as he saw the look of curiosity on Kagome’s face and the cautious fear on the rookies. “Hey Kago-chan? Why don’t we all have a study session at the shrine this weekend?”

“Hmm? That sounds like a good idea. I’ll run it by mama.”

The boys gave a small sigh of relief as they began to clean up the gym once more before they dragged their exhausted forms home for the night.

* * *

As the days passed, the team studied as much as they could until the weekend. Lunchtime and homeroom were used for review, and getting the lagging students up to speed. The need for all the members to succeed was high. They were a new team with little experience, any and all opportunities to test themselves against other schools was paramount to their growth. So, having a few of their members miss those chances to practice was unacceptable—at least it was according to their manager and their coach.

She ruled their study sessions with as much of an iron fist as she did their training. When Yamamoto lamented the laser focus that was placed upon their homework, he was surprised by the sneeze like laugh that Kenma released.

“What’s so funny?”

Kuroo grinned evilly at the younger members. “What’s funny is that if you think she’s strict _now_ , wait until you study with her for more than an hour at a time. Oh, and just a fair warning. Trying to run away only makes it worse. Isn’t that right, Kenma?”

Wincing in remembrance, Kenma paled and looked away with a sigh. ‘At least she’ll have more targets to keep an eye on. But I’m not going to risk it. Souta still won’t say what his punishment was from the last time he tried to sneak off.’

“Why? What happens if you try to run?” Yamamoto began to panic as he observed Kenma silently pale and cringe. “Kenma?! What happens?! Kuroo!”

The two in question wandered off leaving Yamamoto and a group of fearful first years behind.

“ _Why won’t you answer me_?!”

Kuroo cackled as he called over his shoulder. “Yamamoto, shut up and finish getting ready for practice. If you have that much energy, then you can use it for our drills.”

“Y-y-yes sir.”

* * *

When Saturday arrived, the team climbed the dreaded stairs that have been their nemesis since they began the stair master weeks ago. This time they were not running the stairs, and for that they were eternally grateful. Regardless their legs gave faint cries of agony as they reached the top. One member of the newly arrived group looked up at her older brother in confusion as the boys all griped and grumbled throughout the climb. She understood being overwhelmed by the sheer number of stairs, but to carryon about them to this extent was baffling.

“Tora-onii-san. Why do you all hate the stairs so much?”

Yamamoto looked down at his adorable little sister and sighed in exasperation. He was lucky that Kagome and her family said that he could bring Akane to the study session. Otherwise he would have had to stay home with her and try to study on his own since their parents were out of town for the weekend. “Kagome makes us run these stairs every day, and recently she increased our sets.”

The younger girl looked at the team in shock and awe—now she couldn’t _wait_ to meet the famed manager that has been helping the team grow. She’s heard a lot about the new manager from her big brother lately. Comments about how she was really pretty and it was unfair that Kuroo got to her first before anyone else could get a shot. Also, how she was really sweet and evilly diabolical. The way that she was able to instill fear and admiration into her older brother beyond the fact that she was pretty, was something that Akane was anxious to see.

As the group made their trek across the grounds, they took a moment to absorb the peace and tranquility that the shrine projected. Allowing the aura of the Goshinboku to lull them all into relaxing and releasing any tension that they had carried.

“Looks like you boys survived the stairs without having to crawl, eh?”

Collectively the teens just about jumped out of their skin at the sudden appearance of the mischievous Higurashi elder behind them. Whipping around they quickly eyed his hands and saw that they were currently empty of the ofudas that he seemed to have a never-ending supply of. Grandpa laughed at the fear and panic that he caused, and waved them to the house as he turned to wander off further onto the grounds chuckling as he went.

Waving goodbye to one of their sneakiest tormentors, they were ill prepared for Kagome being behind them. “There you all are. Why are you just standing there? Come on, let’s go.” Blinking rapidly at the chorus of shrieks that escaped the boys before her, Kagome shook her head and guided the group to the house. As they all walked across the courtyard, she took the time to get to know Yamamoto’s little sister and learned that she was a first year in junior high school and a volleyball enthusiast.

“I watched the team play at in the Inter-High Prelims! I tried cheering as loud as I could, but no one heard me. I have to say, that the third years were lousy players. They could have taken that team but they just wouldn’t move where they should have to attack!”

“Yes, strategy wasn’t exactly their strong suit.”

“I can’t wait to see everyone play! Tora-onii-san told me that the rookie team was much better than the seniors!” The two girls giggled together as they entered the house with the boys following closely behind them.

Everyone broke into groups and settled into their seats. The second years sat off in one corner of the family room, the first years in another, and Souta and Akane sitting near their elder siblings. Kagome and Yamamoto checked on the younger duo here and there to see if they needed any help with their assignments. They took small breaks when needed and snacks were happily consumed.

The studious atmosphere was only disrupted by the occasional sounds of foreheads hitting textbooks—usually from Yamamoto on various subjects, and Kagome in regards to math. Kuroo looked up from his textbook to glance over as his petite girlfriend groaned in frustration, much to everyone’s amusement.

The snickering grew into full belly laughs and Kuroo cackled when Kagome griped, “Stop smirking, Tetsu-kun!” while her face remained planted in her dreaded math book.

* * *

Days and weeks flew by quickly as the team trained and studied as much as they possibly could. And before they all knew it; finals week had arrived. It was time for everyone to put their brains in gear and grit their teeth as they faced their dreaded foes. Slowly as the week moved forward, they could feel their fingers cramp up, shoulders ache due to hunched over positions, and their heads went numb as if their minds could melt out of their very ears. In the end, all the exams were completed one by one until the very last test was handed in for grading—placing their fates in the hands of the teachers.

All the boys gratefully escaped the main building and ran to the gym to start their stretches for the afternoon as they all discussed how they thought that they did on their tests. Kagome walked in and smiled while she carried the water bottles and towels for the boys in preparation for later.

None of them realized that today was more than simply their last day of exams. Today was a day for a new arrival.

Entering the gym, Naoi wore a proud and excited grin as he stepped aside for his guest. He took a brief moment to observe the team before calling out to them. “Everyone, gather round! I’m pleased to introduce you to your new head coach. Coach Nekomata.” Shock and elation vibrated through the team as they stared at the famed coach that had guided the team to the National stage in the past.

“Eh? Uncle Yasu, is that you?!”


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to these characters.

* * *

_“Eh? Uncle Yasu, is that you?!”_

Nekomata had a wide grin on his face seeing the stunned looks on everyone’s faces. “Kagome-chan! Look at how you’ve grown!” Holding out his arms, she dove into his embrace with a cheer.

“Wait a minute! Hold it! Coach Nekomata is your _Uncle_?!”

Nekomata chuckled as he separated from the petite manager. “Actually, her grandfather and I are cousins. I just insisted that she and Souta call me their uncle when they were little. It was easier for them to understand.”

Kuroo blinked a few dozen times as his brain tried to rapidly process the new information. He glanced at his elated girlfriend in confusion. “Why didn’t you tell me that you were related to Coach Nekomata?”

Sheepishly, Kagome scratched her cheek and bit her lip. “I didn’t realize he _was_ the coach you all were talking about. I mean, I’m so used to calling him Uncle Yasu. So, I didn’t really put two and two together.”

He snorted and shook his head, “More proof of your issues with math.”

“Hey!”

The gym filled with laughter as the coaches wrangled the team back into order. Nekomata, wanting to see the conditioning routines that the team went through, declared that he would be mostly observing today—so no hopes of being freed from the dreaded stair master for them. As the boys got ready to go on their run around to the shrine, both coaches and Kagome headed straight to the shrine steps.

Laughing to himself, the club’s new head coach enjoyed watching the boys trek down the stairs covered in sutras and occasionally hearing the faint cries of “DEMON BEGONE!” from his cousin and the various shrieks from the players. “Hiroshi has not lost his volume nor aim in his old age.”

Kagome snickered with glee, “The boys try to dodge him, but grandpa rarely misses.”

Naoi chuckled as he looked up at the top of the stairs. “I almost wish we had a camera so we could watch the mayhem up there.”

Nekomata let out a snort, “Eh? I would be surprised if Hiro _wasn’t_ recoding this.”

The two coaches turned their attention to Kagome as she giggled. “Grandpa _has_ been recording it. Souta helped him set it up. He re-watches the video to figure out how to improve his ambushing technique.”

As they all looked at the boys and the top of the shrine stairs, Naoi grinned. “Think we could get a copy of those tapes?”

“Of course.”

“We are hosting the Fukurodani Academy Group soon, right?” Naoi and Kagome turned to Coach Nekomata and nodded. “I think this would be a good morning routine for _all_ the boys.”

Kagome blinked rapidly before smirking, “I’ll let grandpa know. He’ll enjoy having new targets to practice on.”

And with that, Naoi lost what little composure that he was holding on to—much to the concern and confusion of the team. That amount of glee from that particular trio is never a good sign.

* * *

The days flew by for the team, and it had been a whirl wind to be sure. With Coach Nekomata joining the ranks, they could see where else Kagome may have learned how to ‘torture’ them all with a smile. She had the ability to smile in a way that balanced between evil and innocent, while their coach’s smile was unassuming and evil.

Also, much to their dismay, Nekomata loved their conditioning routines so much that he happily declared that they would continue and Kagome would remain as their unofficial conditioning coach. It was now official; they _really_ needed to break the code and figure out how to read the notebook of doom—their very _lives_ depended on it!

However, they couldn’t focus too much on the horrors that notebook contained. It was time for their exams to be returned. Now they had to cross their fingers and hope that there wasn’t a failing grade attached to them, because they did _not_ want to find out what the Tiny Tyrant would do to them if they had to miss out on the training weekend.

Kuroo hadn’t been too concerned about his test scores, but he was looking forward to see how he did on his report. He leaned back in his seat as he watched his classmates either breathe a sigh of relief, cheer, or hit their heads on the desks. As he collected his exam and report he saw that both received high marks—much to his elation. Now he would have to work on part two of the assignment series over the summer break, whereas his classmates who failed would have to scramble to redo part one during the few weeks remaining in the term.

Was it terrible of him to want to chuckle when he saw that Kitori was one of them? If it was, he could live with that. If anything, it was poetic justice for her being virtually a stalker. You would think that she would have backed off after he revealed that he had a girlfriend, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case. It only slowed her down a bit, and he could still occasionally feel her beady eyes on him. Much to his displeasure.

The chime of the bell broke through his thoughts, as it signaled that it was finally the end of the day. Quickly, Kuroo gathered his things and used his long stride to make his exit out of the room before anyone could try to stop him. He headed to the club room and was met with the voices of his team. Everyone was gleefully chattering about how they managed to pass all their exams.

As a result, they collectively breathed a sigh of relief and joy. Even though some of the passing scores were by the skin of their teeth, a passing grade was a passing grade. Now they could focus on the weekend, and get ready to show the other teams what they were truly made of.

Beyond that, Kuroo needed to make sure that Kagome didn’t stress herself out in worry over whether or not everything was ready for the other schools’ arrival. The girl was going to work herself into an early grave at the rate she was going. He knows that she’s been in contact with the other managers and got tips on how to prepare, and one would think that that would help her calm down.

Instead it just helped her add to her list and she just kept going over it again and again. He already had to steal her lists during lunch to force her to take a break—not that she fully appreciated the sacrifice that he made. Really inconsiderate if you asked him. Honestly, he deserves a medal at this rate!

As he entered the gym, there was the girl in question, once more reviewing her notes. ‘Here we go again…’ He approached her quietly and snatched the papers from her hands.

“Hey! Tetsu-kun! Give those back!”

He held the papers up high over his head and out of her reach while slightly frowning down at her. “You have looked over these papers a million times. You have everything planned and figured out, so stop panicking already.”

“There are still things that need to be organized before everyone arrives tomorrow!” She scowled up at him and attempted to jump for the stolen items once more.

“No there aren’t. You’re just being overly paranoid, Pocket-chan.”

The silence that descended upon the gym was stifling as anticipation grew once Kagome froze and stared up at the new captain. As her brow began to twitch, the rest of the team began to quickly place bets as to what the outcome of Kuroo once again mocking her height would be. There were no volleyballs within her reach so her usual response wasn’t a possibility. Faster than they could blink, her hands darted up to Kuroo’s face and grabbed onto his cheeks with a tight pinch.

Then she stretched his face out as far as his skin would go, causing him to let out a yelp and bring his hands down to dislodge her grip. Taking her chance, she let go of his face and snatched her precious papers out of his hand. Afterwards she darted across the gym before he could process what had happened. Blowing a raspberry in his direction while he scowled at her and rubbed his sore cheeks. He then turned his glare to the team when they all fell to the floor laughing at his misfortune. ‘Talk about disrespectful!’

Before he could attempt to enact any sort of revenge, Naoi and Nekomata entered the gym and practice began. They kept practice short that evening so everyone could assist in setting up the selected classrooms for the teams to sleep in over the weekend. Once everything was complete, they all headed home for the evening with Kuroo complaining to Kagome about her abuse of his handsome face—not that he got a lot of sympathy. Kenma just smirked a bit at Kuroo’s attempt while playing his new game, and Kagome merely rolled her eyes.

“Call me Pocket sized again, and you won’t have to worry about your ‘handsome’ face being stretched.” Kuroo looked at her cautiously as she smiled innocently up at him. “I’ll use you as target practice instead.”

Flinching at his petite girlfriend, Kuroo decided it might be in his best interest to hold off on making fun of her height for a few days. While he enjoyed pushing buttons and riling people up, he was also a firm believer in self-preservation—mostly. Ok, so he hasn’t been the best at that practice when it came to the resident Tiny Tyrant, but it was a _lot_ of fun watching her face turn red as she scowled at him. “Um, noted.”

Kenma snorted quietly, “And that’s a mental note that’ll be discarded.”

“Oi! What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Exactly how it sounded.”

“Whose side are you on, Kenma?”

“Kagome’s.”

Kuroo playfully scowled and grumbled under his breath over the unfairness of it all, while Kagome snickered happily.

* * *

Kagome arrived early on campus to make sure once more that things were organized and ready for the arrival of the rest of the Fukurodani Academy Group. Darting from floor to floor, room to room, she did a count of all futons and made sure that they were all stacked neatly and ready for use. After that she darted over to the cafeteria and checked that everything was in order, before running down to the gym to do the same.

She was certain that she had missed something, and it was driving her to distraction. Just as she was about to run off and check on things for what seemed to be the hundredth time, a pair of arms wrapped around her. Pulling her off of the ground, she was then tossed over a shoulder.

“W-w-what the—?!”

“Kago-chan, stop. Everything is fine.”

“Put. Me. Down Rooster Head!”

“Hm… let me think about that for a second… Nope. Not gonna do it.”

She growled at his back and beat on it while demanding once more that he release her. “Hey, could you reach a little lower. Cause that feels awesome!”

“Arg! Tetsu-kun, put me down!”

“If I do, you’ll just run around like a headless chicken again. So no, I’m not going to.”

“I won’t recheck things. I promise, so put me down!”

“…You have your fingers crossed, don’t you?”

“…no…”

“Uh huh. Yeah, I think you’re fine where you are.”

“…I hate you…”

In the distance, Coach Nekomata and Naoi watched the duo and chuckled at the sight. “Hiro was right. He’s a good match for her.”

“You’re ok with him dating your favorite niece?”

“For now. If he breaks her heart then I’m sure Hiro and I can think of some kind of horrible outcome for him.” Naoi flinched a bit in concern for the young player in question. “However, I doubt that that will ever come to pass. They looked for each other for a longtime, and his promise helped in more ways than he knows.”

“Sensei?”

Nekomata chuckled and waved Naoi’s concerns off. “Come on, Naoi. Let’s go save Kuroo-kun from Kagome-chan’s wrath.”

“Ah.”

* * *

Soon all the other teams arrived, and all the boys piled into the gym to begin warming up for the day. The new captains were revealed and ready to show off their newly formed teams. Though Kuroo wasn’t surprised, he was a bit annoyed that Bokuto was given the title of captain of Fukurodani—the annoying owl already had a big head as it was.

As their warmups neared an end, and playful taunts were exchanged, they all came to attention when Coach Nekomata called out to them. With a wide grin on his face he directed their focus, on the female member of Nekoma’s team—and her teammates had an ominous feeling creep up their spines.

“Everyone, it’s time for a quick run. Team Nekoma, since you know the way, please guide the others to the location. We will see you there!”

The others school teams all looked at Nekoma in concern as they collectively groaned in misery. Turning to head outside, they were peppered with questions about their response.

“Ne, Kuroo-kun. What’s so bad about a run?”

“It’s not the run you need to worry about. It’s what is at the end of it.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Kuroo quickly checked over his shoulder to make sure Kagome was not within hearing range as they began to jog. “You all are about to learn and experience why we call Kago-chan the Tiny Tyrant.”

“Wha—?!”

* * *

Call her cruel or sadistic, but there was a part of Kagome that would always enjoy the look of shock, terror, and awe on people’s faces when they saw the shrine stairs. And she was not disappointed when all four teams arrived at the foot of them. Next to her, Nekomata chuckled before addressing the teams and informing them of their task.

It was agreed that they would only do three sets of the dreaded stair master since the other schools were not used to the exercise. ‘That, and it’s only fair since that’s what Nekoma started with in the beginning.’

The boys all looked fearfully at the Nekoma team when they heard them exhale in relief when they were told how many sets they were to complete. Pairing up they began their dash up the stairs and those at the bottom looked at the top with concern when shouts and shrieks echoed down to them. The boys from Nekoma, however, snickered with glee as the other boys stumbled down baring the results of their arch nemesis. It was always nice to share the misery—Bokuto had many ofudas attached to his hair and forehead, much to Kuroo’s satisfaction.

“Nice additions there, Bokuto. Starting a new fashion trend?”

Laughing and grumbling, Bokuto attempted to free himself from his new adornments. “How does an old man move that _fast_? I didn’t know he was there until he shouted and I was covered.”

Next to him Akaashi snorted in agreement, he was similarly covered and impressed with the elder. “He’s tagged every player so far. He has to run out of ofudas at some point.”

“I wouldn’t count on that.” Akaashi and Bokuto tiled their heads at Kuroo in concern. “We run this drill every day and I’ve never seen him run out. And I’m pretty sure that Higurashi-san made extra just for this weekend.”

“W-w-wait… did you say ‘Higurashi-san’?! As in related to Kagome-chan?!”

Kuroo grinned smugly at the owl, “Yup. You all just met Kago-chan’s grandfather. What? Didn’t you notice that the shrine is called the ‘Higurashi Shrine’? That’s pretty oblivious even for you.”

“Oi!”

“I’m more unnerved by you saying that you all run this drill every day.”

“Yeah, but this is a bit of a break for us. She upped our sets about a week ago.”

“You guys think this is bad, you should see what _else_ she makes us do!”

“Yamamoto, shut up.”

“Hey, hey, hey! What else does she make you do?! Kuroo? Kuroo! Answer me!”

Kuroo ignored Bokuto’s cries and Akaashi’s paling form as he ran up the shrine steps to complete his sets for the morning. Why should he be the one to spoil the surprise? Plus, letting the annoying owl stew and squirm was just too much fun to pass up.


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to these characters.

* * *

Training continued as usual for the four schools, though most of the boys noticed team Nekoma eying their petite manager with caution. Come to think of it, Bokuto and Akaashi were also giving her the side eye—they were a little confused by this in all honesty. The stair master was a terror to be sure, and the elderly priest at the top of the shrine stairs was a menace—but that doesn’t explain the reasoning behind the looks that the pretty manager received.

As the teams took a break for lunch, the boys proceed to try to pry the missing puzzle pieces from their feline counterparts. They became nervous when the members of Nekoma looked around cautiously before leaning in and imparting the missing details.

“Kagome-chan is the mastermind behind the stair master. And given that Coach Nekomata is related to her and approves of her conditioning methods… Let’s just say, you best be prepared to learn _why_ we refer to her as the Tiny Tyrant when she’s not around.”

“Why do you call her the Tiny Tyrant? And why do you only call her that when she’s gone?”

“Cause she chucks a ball at Kuroo’s head every time he makes fun of her height.”

The stunned nervous looks that graced the faces of all the boys was a sight to behold. Kagome always seemed to be a sweet girl with a spine of steel. She would have to have one to be a manager of a bunch of teenaged boys. Their own managers were the same way. But to find out that she terrified her team was a surprise, she didn’t seem to have a mean bone in her body.

As the other teams contemplated the information that they were given, they never realized that the first part of their inquiry was ignored. The Nekoma team members all made eye contact and nodded. They may have given the others a small warning, but they weren’t going to tell them _everything_. Chances were high that they wouldn’t have to worry about it…right?

* * *

Saturday few by with little trauma. Nekoma proved to Ubugawa and Shinzen, that they were a much better team than their predecessor. They still struggled against Fukurodani unfortunately, much to Kuroo’s irritation. Once dinner time rolled around, the cats all slunk off and made a break for the cafeteria with two persistent owls flying close behind.

All the boys settled down for the night, feeling a little more tired than they were used to. The majority declared that they would be sure to avoid the sneaky priest’s attack in the morning—much to the amusement of the host team. There was really no point in telling them that there was no escaping Grandpa Higurashi. They’ve tried just about everything, but if the others can figure out how to defeat the sly elder then more power to them. But everyone had to learn that on their own at some point.

* * *

The sun began to rise the next morning faster than their tired muscles would have liked. And the teenagers dragged themselves down to breakfast, then prepared themselves for another run at the stair master. However, they sadly missed a key sign as they reached the base of the shrine steps. They were so focused on how they could dodge their nemesis at the top of the mountain, that they didn’t notice the grins on the faces of Nekoma’s coaches. What’s worse, is that they didn’t realize a certain manager was nowhere in sight as the all prepared to begin their sets.

First in line to begin the climb and brave the wrath of the elderly opponent was a trio comprising of a certain cat and two owls. The young men all took a deep breath, and tried to visualize how they would avoid any attack thrown at them. Releasing the air that they took in, they nodded at each other and dashed up the stairs together.

Kuroo, Bokuto, and Akaashi slowed down as they reached the top. They proceeded to scan the grounds carefully, and were more than a little baffled. There was no sign of the elder _anywhere_ in sight. Taking another quick look to confirm that Grandpa Higurashi was not nearby to strike, the two owls heaved a sigh of relief. Kuroo on the other hand, frowned in suspicion—this was _not_ normal.

“Hey, hey, hey! Looks like Higurashi-san decided to pass on dive bombing us this morning!”

“It does seem so…”

“I don’t like this. He’s up to something.”

“You’re just being paranoid Kuroo! He’s not even in the bushes that he jumped out of last time!”

The trio looked around for the third time before turning to head down the stairs. Never noticing the short dark shape flying in their direction at speed.

* * *

Loud cries from the top of the stairs echoed throughout the early morning air, much to the amusement of the few neighbors and the odd pedestrian wandering by. The other teams looked to the top in amusement and trepidation as the first trio to run the stair master stumbled down the steps with looks of disbelief on the faces—well, what you could see of their faces. They were absolutely covered in ofudas.

“I’m telling you! He was on some kind of zipline! How did he even get that set up?! It wasn’t there yesterday!”

“I’m pretty sure that was a rope that he swung by on…”

“I _told_ you he was up to something. But did you listen? No. I was just _paranoid_.”

“Shuddap!”

Kenma watched with a small smirk as he dreaded his turn up the stairs. The various yelps, shrieks and cries that drifted down proved that Grandpa was on top of his game that morning. He turned his head to share a smile with Kagome—only to see that she was nowhere to be found. As Kuroo, Bokuto, and Akaashi got back in line while attempting to dislodge their paper accessories, he frowned.

“Ne, Kuroo? Where’s Kagome?”

Kuroo was currently focused on trying to pull off the ofuda without removing a layer of skin with it. “She’s standing over by Coach Nekomata.”

“No. She’s not.”

Jerking his head up, Kuroo winced as he accidently yanked the ofuda off with more force than he meant to. He rubbed at the raw spot as he darted his eyes over to see that Kenma was correct. His girlfriend was _not_ where she normally stood during this exercise. Sharing a slightly panicked look with his shorter friend, he tried to think of a logical explanation.

“Maybe she stayed behind with the other managers to get ready for our return to the gym?”

“Maybe…”

Bokuto blinked at the concern. “Why would Kagome not being here worry you?”

“It’s nothing… hopefully…”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“Bokuto-san, calm down.”

“I _am_ calm!”

“Clearly you aren’t, airhead. You’re bouncing around like a rabid chipmunk.”

“Hey!”

Kenma shook his head and shared a small suffering look with Akaashi over the two captains’ antics. He figured that Kuroo is probably right. Kagome was probably with the other managers at the gym. Unless? No, they wouldn’t do that. Would they?

* * *

They were _wrong_. Horribly wrong. As wrong as wrong could ever be.

As the stair master came to an end and Grandpa Higurashi once again earning a perfect score against the boys. They were led to a place that was all too familiar to team Nekoma. Hearing the groans of despair Shinzen, Ubugawa, and Fukurodani became wary of the seemingly innocent Sports Center before them. The grins on the faces of all of the coaches were not entirely encouraging either.

Kuroo sighed in defeat. There was no escaping what was to come, but at least he would see the stupid owl face plant. Always have to find that silver lining. “Hey Bokuto!”

“Eh?”

“How do you like the taste of sand? Cause you’re gonna be eating it in a minute.”

“Wha?!”

Smirking at his friend and rival, Kuroo turned to his team. “Well, same rules as always. The one who falls over the least wins.”

The team all grinned. “Ne, Kenma! I’m gonna beat you this time!”

Kenma shrugged as he glanced at Yamamoto. “Ok.”

“Hey, hey, hey! Kuroo! What does that mean!?”

As the teams entered the gym, they saw all the managers standing inside with large smiles on their pretty faces. And they saw the large sand pit with several volleyball nets setup. Turning to the cats, they saw them shoot a glance at their manager before nodding at them.

‘Tiny Tyrant indeed…’

All of the teams got into their places, and the mayhem began. Nekoma faced Shinzen first, and the sand really messed with Shinzen’s ability to perform their combinations. Nekoma was steadier than all of the other teams much to their excitement, but spills still occurred. Their laughter and shouts of points to whomever fell at that time allowed for the other teams to loosen up and join in on the fun. There was of course still some frustration, but they didn’t dwell on it as much as they probably would have.

The cats grinned and shouted encouragement to their rivals, giving pointers on how to balance themselves better. With Nekoma having the advantage of practicing on these courts before, it was no surprise that they won their set. The next set was against Fukurodani, and Kuroo couldn’t wait for the small break to be over.

He had seen Bokuto do a spectacular face plant in the corner of his eye during the match with Shinzen, and that was something he definitely wanted to witness again. However, as much fun as it was to watch the other teams’ trip all over themselves, it was a little disconcerting to see the managers giggling and wiping out their phones.

“Ne, Kagome-chan! Do you have any good pictures of your team practicing here?”

“Yeah, Kagome. I haven’t seen you snap any pictures.”

“Hm? Oh, no I haven’t taken any pictures.” Hearing this the cats collectively breathed a sigh of relief. Who knows what kind of horrors their petite manager could create with that material? “Ishikawa-san records the practices. I always get a copy of it from him.”

Ok, they were doomed.

* * *

They match against Fukurodani was highly entertaining to say the least. Being that they were the strongest team by far of the group, and they were struggling against Nekoma in the sand pit. Bokuto was not able to jump as near as high as he usually could, and it took Akaashi a little bit of time to adjust his tosses to his teammates in the foreign conditions. That and with how calm and collected Akaashi usually appeared—it was hilarious to see the shock and panic on his usually placid face as he lost his balance. Regardless, Kuroo was just ecstatic to see Bokuto burry his head in the sand more than a few times.

“Hey Bokuto! Got enough sand in your hair yet?”

“Shut up!”

Kuroo cackled with glee as he watched his friend topple over again. As Bokuto popped up with a pout on his face, Kuroo grinned and attempted to give a few pointers between chuckles.

“How often does Kagome make you all do this?”

“Hmmm? About two or three times a week.”

“WHAT?!”

“Yeah, you guys are gonna want to soak in the tub when you all get home. It’s what we all do. But you’ll need to shake off all that sand you’re collecting first.” All the owls groaned in agreement at that piece of wisdom.

The game continued with Nekoma pulling out a narrow win. Kagome stood on the edges of the courts with a wide grin on her face as she furiously scribbled notes down. She was proud of the team and how well they were improving. They knew they were getting stronger, but to go against the other teams and _see_ and _feel_ that growth for themselves? That was the best way to show them that there was a method to her madness.

* * *

As the day came to a close, muscles ached and energy levels were drained to almost zero, the teams wandered back to Nekoma High. Cleanup was mercifully quick and painless for the exhausted teenagers. Most of the cleaning had been done before breakfast.

They all ran around to make sure all their possessions were packed and loaded into the correct buses. The three schools waved goodbye to the cats with a newfound appreciation for the training that they had to undergo. And boy were they glad that the Tiny Tyrant was not responsible for _their_ conditioning. One weekend of her reign was more than enough for them, and they could only hope that their coaches didn’t decide to adopt any of her routines.

In two weeks, they will all gather at Shinzen for the Summer Training Camp. It will be interesting to see how much Nekoma improves by then.

One thing was for certain, they won’t lose!


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to these characters.

* * *

Kuroo chuckled to himself as he strolled towards the Higurashi Shine. Earlier he had received a text from Kenma saying that Souta said that Kagome was entering her ‘paranoid zone’ once more. Next weekend, the team would be traveling to Shinzen for their summer training camp, and is seemed that Kagome was freaking out over the preparations—again. She probably forgot that they had a date today. Oh well. She would either go out with him as planned, or she would be hauled out of the house and go on the date. It’s a win-win for him regardless. Maybe she will calm down about preparing for these training trips at some point.

Shaking his head, he climbed the steps to save the miko from herself once more. And after being allowed entry into the home, he was informed that Kagome was up in her room grumbling about something or other.

“She’s completely gone around the bend, Kuroo!”

“All right, Souta. I’ll deal with it.”

“Good luck!” With that the boy ran off to his room to hide.

Kuroo took a deep breath before he entered Kagome’s domain to find her once again, obsessing over lists and schedules. “You know… I’m starting to feel _very_ neglected in this relationship.”

She flinched in surprise at the voice that penetrated her bubble. “Wha—?”

“Well you’re not obsessing over _me_ nearly as much as you are over your notebook.”

Kagome blinked in disbelief before snorting at him. “If you wanted someone to obsess over you, then you should have dated Kitori-san.”

“Ouch! That’s just cruel Kago-chan!”

Laughing at his dramatics, Kagome set down her pen and turned her full attention to her pouting boyfriend. “And what are you doing here, Rooster head?”

“Kago-chan, you disappointment me. You seem to have forgotten our date.” He watched as her eyes widened in shock and then become apologetic. “Now, put that paperwork down. We are going out.”

“Tetsu-kun, I’m so sorry. But I have so much that I need to go through—”

“Tsk, tsk, Kago-chan. No excuses! We are going out, and you are taking a break.” He reached out and tugged her out of her chair by her hand.

“But—”

“No buts! You can walk out of here, or I can carry you out. You decide.” Kagome rolled her eyes and huffed at his back as he guided her down the stairs and to the front door. Once they retrieved their shoes and headed out, Kuroo threw his arm over her shoulders and looked down at her. “After our day out, I’ll help you go over the forms and schedules. I _am_ the captain and I’m not dead weight like Watanabe-baka was. You don’t have to carry the weight on your own you know.”

Kagome looked up at him and smiled softly. “Thank you. What would I do without you?”

“Work yourself into an early grave or very deep hole. And with how tiny you are you would have a heck of a time getting out of it.”

Her smile morphed into a small frown as she jabbed her fingers into his side. “And there you go, ruining the moment. Jerk”

His cackles echoes across the grounds as the pair descended the stairs to the town below.

* * *

The weekend flew by for Kagome. Kuroo was able to distract her from her worries during their date and he followed through with his promise to help her go over the needed paperwork for the training camp. She only had to resist the urge to strangle him twice, which was an improvement to say the least. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right, she needed to learn to delegate some of the work to him. Kuroo may act like a scheming cat, but he did take his responsibilities as captain seriously. Now, does that mean that she will no longer fret and stress over the preparations before training camps and tournaments? Probably not. So, she’ll just have to deal with his antics as they come.

Smiling softly as she shook her head, she refocused on the task at hand. She needed to finish her projects before they left for Shinzen early on Saturday morning. She knew that the other managers would love and appreciate the results once they were complete. However, she still had a lot of footage to sift through—and her breaking into laughter ever few moments didn’t help much.

The boys will _not_ appreciate this to be sure, but they’ll get over it. Eventually.

* * *

Kuroo was more than a little concerned about his petite girlfriend. Granted her freak-outs over the upcoming training camp have calmed down since he helped her over the weekend. But that wasn’t what was worrying him. Kagome seemed to be distracted lately. As soon as practice was over, she would rush to get home and mumble to herself. Most disconcerting was when she would randomly start giggling as she would look over her notes in her notebook. Here he thought Fukunaga was a bit odd when he would suddenly start laughing to himself, but now Kagome was giving him a run for his money.

So, there are a few possibilities for this. One, she’s finally cracked from all the stress of managing the team—though he doubted this. And two, she was plotting something—a far more likely scenario. Especially since there have been no messages from Souta reporting that his sister was nuts. Well, he guessed that he would just have to disrupt her plans as much as possible. With a plan in mind, Kuroo smirked to himself as he continued walking home with Kenma, never noticing the glances of concern and suspicion that he received. The two friends parted ways and readied themselves for an early bus ride the next morning.

* * *

Saturday morning arrived, and Kenma was watching Kuroo and Kagome from a bit of a distance as everyone loaded up into the bus. The ride to Shinzen wouldn’t take too long, but that didn’t mean that things couldn’t go wrong in the meantime. Kuroo, for whatever reason, has been getting an early start in pestering Kagome. Normally this would not be a cause of concern or caution for Kenma, but this appeared to be a single-minded focus to provoke Kagome.

There had to be a reason behind it, because Kuroo was generally not that crazy in challenging the Tiny Tyrant’s temper. The tick that occasionally formed above her eye was a testament to just how annoying she was finding the current captain’s antics to be.

“Hey Kenma? Any idea why Kuroo is courting death this morning?”

Briefly glancing up at Yamamoto from the corner of his eye, Kenma shook his head. “It might have something to do with how Kagome had been acting the last few days. But I’m not sitting right next to them on the bus if I can help it.”

“Hmmm. Good call. Think she’ll kill him?”

“Depends on how irritating he gets.”

Yaku and Kai wandered up behind the pair to observe the couple in question. “Are we going to have to promote Kai from co-captain to captain soon?”

“Not yet.”

“Has she tried to strangle him?”

“Nope, but you can tell she thinking about it.”

“I think his height is saving him for the moment.”

As they moved to enter the bus, they heard Kuroo let out a yelp. Shaking their heads as they chuckled at their captain’s misfortune. However, if they thought that that would be the end, they were wrong.

* * *

Kuroo had decided that the next tactic he would employ would be to drop his voice into a lower register as he peppered her with questions. Observing how she straightened her spine in hopes of containing her reaction, he smirked as he proceeded to distract the team’s manager as much as he could while he sat next to her on the bus.

“Come on Kago-chan. When are you going to tell me what has you so distracted lately?”

Narrowing her eyes, she promptly dug her elbow into his side. “Right now, I’m being distracted by how obnoxious you’re being.”

“Ouch, Kago-chan. That’s just mean!”

“You’ll get over it.”

“So… tell me what you’ve been working on.”

Rolling her eyes, she huffed at his persistence. “Why on earth are you so anxious to know?”

“The fact that you are being secretive is concerning! You’re not thinking about dumping me for someone else, are you?”

Kagome snorted and returned her focus to her notebook. “Yes, I’ve decided to trade you in for Bokuto. I can’t resist my feelings for him any longer. So, I was planning to declare my heart and soul to him once we arrived at camp.”

Kuroo squawked in horror, drawing the attention of the boys around them. “Oi! I’m _way_ better than that airhead!”

“I don’t know about that. I mean he _is_ one of the top aces in the country. It’s kind of hard to resist that.” Kagome was struggling to hold her laughter in. She knew that Kuroo was well aware that she was teasing him, but she also knew that the mere idea that she would favor Bokuto over him would drive him up the wall.

Kuroo saw that her shoulders were shaking in silent laughter and scowled. “You’ll pay for that, Pocket-chan.” He then quickly grabbed her notebook out of her hands and tossed it down the aisle towards the front of the bus.

Feeling the now familiar tick reappearing over her eye as her hands clenched, she slowly looked up at her smug boyfriend. She stared into his eyes before lowly hissing, “ _Death_.”

The team snickered in humor and fear as they slid down in their seats. While they listened to Kuroo’s yelps and cries, they figured it was safer to remain out of sight. The rest of the trip passed in relative peace, and they arrived safely at Shinzen.

They all piled out of the vehicle with wide grins as Kuroo stumbled out with cheeks red and sore, and a lump on his head. Kagome was quite pleased with herself as she collected her things with the rest of the team.

As they were busy unloading, the bus for Fukurodani Academy parked. Bokuto practically leaped out to greet Kuroo only to pause at the look on his face. “Hey, hey, hey, Kuroo! What happened to you?”

Kuroo rubbed his face while giving Kagome a side eye. “Got attacked by a feral kitten.”

Bokuto and Akaashi blinked as the rest of Nekoma snickered. Kagome simply turned her nose up and huffed at Kuroo’s complaints as she strolled with Yukie and Kaori up to the school.

* * *

The first day of camp was running smoothly for the most part. Kuroo still insisted on irritating Kagome when he could to the horror and amusement of the others. When it was finally later in the afternoon, and practice was paused for breaktime, many of the boys were hanging out by the outside sinks. Goofing off, the captains of Fukurodani, Nekoma, Ubugawa, and Shinzen along with a few others of their teammates hassled and teased one another. Bokuto was trying to figure out why there was no water coming out of the hose, failing to see Kuroo grinning and standing on it to block the flow.

Kenma sat off to the side with Kai and Yaku, watching the antics, and noticing all the managers beginning to approach with the watercoolers. As the scene progressed, the three boys’ eyes widened in horror.

“Hey Kuroo! Is there a reason why you are antagonizing the Tiny Tyrant?”

“Yeah, Kuroo-kun. I thought you have more sense than that!”

Kagome and the girls paused in their approach. They could see her narrow her eyes in confusion as the cogs in her brain turned. And then, as if in slow motion, Bokuto turned the end of the hose away from himself as Kuroo lifted his foot up. The shrieks of the managers pierced the air as they were all hit by the water.

The boys quickly scrambled to shut off the faucet as fast as possible, but the damage was done. The five girls were drenched and frozen in shock as silence reigned. Slowly anger began to radiate from most of the them, but Kagome was another matter. She just stood as still as stone, and that terrified Kenma more than anything. He watched as she finally, slowly raised her head up with a pleasant smile upon her face.

“You guys should really be more careful.”

The boys and the girls were stumped. “Uh… Kago-chan. Are you feeling ok?”

“Of course! Well the five of us need to go change. You boys will have to fill the watercoolers for us.” With that she urged the girls to set down their burdens and head inside the school.

Cautiously, Yaku leaned into the others. “Did that seem strange to you guys?”

Kai watched the girls disappear out of sight as he nodded. “I’ve never seen Kagome react like that.”

The two older boys turned to Kenma for his thoughts. “I’ll text Souta tonight.”

“Good idea.”

* * *

Practice was finally over for the day and nighttime had descended upon the volleyball teams. Yamamoto was standing in the darkened hallway not far from the room that Nekoma would be sleeping in, chatting with Fukunaga. The taller boy was leaning against the window looking down at the book in his hands as Yamamoto laughed at the joke that was read to him. Pausing for breath, Yamamoto nearly choked when he looked up at the window to see an eerie pale figure with long dark hair hanging in their face move behind him in the reflection. He stood frozen in shock and unable to look away even as the apparition vanished from sight.

Fukunaga, realizing that Yamamoto had been silent for too long, looked up at his pale form. Before he could question his teammate, they were approached by Kuroo, Bokuto, Akaashi, Goura, Ogano, and several others.

“Fukunaga, what’s wrong with Yamamoto?” Kuroo, receiving a shrug in confusion, looked closely at Nekoma’s ace player. “Yamamoto?”

“Did you—Did you see th-that?”

“What?”

“There was s-s-s-someone in the reflection behind m-m-m-me. Someone, w-w-who didn’t seem to have eyes, and g-g-glowed.”

All the boys looked at each other nervously. “Um, it was probably just your imagination, Yamamoto!”

“Yeah, just the light of the moon playing tricks on you!”

“A-are you sure?”

“Yeah, i-i-it’s just in your h-h-head. Everything is pe-pe-perfectly fine.”

Nodding enthusiastically, the group struggled to ignore the icy sensation that began to creep along their spines. The feeling increased slowly as they stood in the darkened hall. Flinching when they suddenly could hear a faint scraping sound echoing in the still air. Drawing closer, and closer to their paling forms until there was a loud ‘CLACK’ from right behind them. Wiping around they grabbed onto each other as they were blinded by a several bright flashes of light as they screamed in terror at the top of their lungs.

* * *

Kenma quickly entered the room that Nekoma was assigned while staring down at his phone. He was finally able to send a text off to Souta, inquiring about Kagome’s strange reaction earlier.

“Ne, Kenma? Have you heard from Souta-kun yet?”

Looking up at Kai, he shook his head. “I just sent him the message a little bit ago.” His phone chimed, and he glanced down.

-Kenma!!! What happened? Tell me everything!-

Frowning in thought, Kenma typed out about Kuroo pestering Kagome all day, her responses, and every detail about the incident in question. He reviewed the text briefly and pushed send.

“He asked for more details as to what happened. We should hear soon as to what to expect.”

“I hope so. Maybe we are just being overly paranoid?”

Kenma shrugged, but he doubted that they were. And the longer that it took for Souta to respond the more nervous he felt.

-Souta?-

When his phone finally chimed with a response, he froze at the words written. Yaku, Kai, and a few of the others, crowded around him to read over his shoulder once they saw his reaction.

-Tell Kuroo that I’ll light some incense for him…-

A chorus of screams and a loud crash ripped through the silence causing the boys to flinch and Kenma’s phone flew up and out of his hands. Luckily, Kai regained his senses to reach out and catch the device before it fell.

“W-w-what was that?!”

“Was that a flash?”

Slowly the group crept towards the door, and Kai handed Kenma his phone as they slid it open to peer into the hallway. And there, just a bit down the hall, was a heap of limbs. Faintly they heard other doors sliding open from the other rooms as Kenma’s phone chimed once more.

-Kenma, whatever you do! Don’t stand anywhere near Kuroo for a while! It won’t be safe until her need for screams are fulfilled. Good luck…-

Suddenly Kuroo’s head popped up above the mass to shout, “KAGOME!” They watched for moment as he and the others scrambled to untangle themselves and dash for the stairs. Looking at each other in shock, they retreated into the room and shut the door.

“So that was Kagome’s work?”

“Seems like it, or at least Kuroo think’s so.”

“Let’s move his bed to the far corner.”

“You really think she would do something to him in here?”

“Do you really want to take a chance?”

“…Good point.”

* * *

Kagome was running for her life as she darted up the flight of stairs. Desperately she searched for a decent hiding place. The evidence _had_ to be preserved, and if she didn’t hide quick then all would be lost. She couldn’t go to the girls’ room yet, that would be the first place that they looked. And hearing Kuroo bellow out her name solidified how dire her situation was. If he catches her before she could do what was necessary to protect her precious cargo, then she was doomed and the picture would be gone forever. A travesty to be sure.

She really couldn’t have planned the events that happened, nor could she have arranged it. It was serendipity, and she took full advantage of the situation. She had just entered the hall after showering to hear the boys talking about what she assumed was a ghost sighting. Seeing the tense forms, she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to freak them out a bit more. So, she released her aura full of icy malicious intent—cause hey, they doused her and the girls with water, and have apparently dubbed her the ‘Tiny Tyrant.’ She was _not_ going to feel bad about this.

Gently she sent out her aura to creep along the floor and slowly snare them in its grasp. Then she began to lightly drag her slippered feet across the floor as she crept closer. It was pure luck that she happened to have her phone with her. The kami-sama must have been smiling on her at this time, so she would not allow it to go to waste. She brought her phone up and readied the camera before stomping her foot on the ground. Watching the boys whip around in terror was almost more than she could handle! Thankfully she had enough control to quickly snap several photos before she made her escape.

Shaking her head, she quickly refocused on her current task. Hide. She needed to hide. Darting passed the girls room she quickly dove into a nearby classroom. She could hear the thundering footsteps of the boys running up the stairs after her and the slightly muffled voices crying out. Thinking fast, she typed up a message to the other managers and waited until she could hear the boys talking to Yukie and the others.

* * *

Kuroo was irked to say the least. He should have _known_ that something was up when Kagome didn’t erupt after she and the girls got drenched. After yelling out at her disappearing form, he scrambled to get untangled from the others quickly.

“Bokuto! Get your arm out of my face! We need to catch her!”

“How are we going to catch a ghost?!”

“ _Why_ would we want to catch a ghost?”

“You idiots! That wasn’t a ghost! The was Kagome, and that flash was a _camera_!”

There was a pause as Kuroo’s words penetrated their brains, and then a mad dash to get free chase after petite menace. Slipping and sliding across the floor in their desperation, they climbed the stairs and ran for the room that the managers were sharing. Knocking emphatically on the door they waited until it was slid open to see Kaori and Yukie standing before them frowning.

“Hey, hey, hey, Yukippe! Is Kagome here?”

The girls raised a brow as Eri and Mako peered at them from the side. “No, she was down in the bathrooms the last we saw.” Multiple chimes went off in the room, and Yukie pulled out her phone to see that she had a text. Bokuto, seeing that the text came from Kagome, snatched it out of her hands.

“Hey!”

“ _Guys the boys are looking for me. I’m going to hide outside, let me know when the coast is clear. I’ll explain later!_ ” Bokuto looked at the others after reading the text aloud. Shoving Yukie’s phone back in her hands the group darted off down the stairs at a rapid pace. If they to could spread out they could catch her and prevent whatever shenanigans she had planned!

* * *

The girls retreated back into their room in confusion over what had happened.

“What on earth was that about?”

“I don’t know. But if that simpleton steals my phone again, I’ll never loan him any more money!”

Eri smiled at the girls before frowning. “Should we text Kagome that the boys know where she is?” Before anyone could respond, the door to their room slid open and closed behind the manager in question.

“Kagome?”

“Shhhh! The evidence must be preserved!”

“Huh?”

Instead of answering, Kagome’s fingers flew across the screen of her phone while she mumbled to herself about needing to move faster. Then finally she must have finished what she was doing because all their phones chimed once more. Seeing Kagome’s form finally relax and an evil grin stretch across her delicate face, the girls cautiously reached for their phones.

“Oh my!”

“No way!”

And the room dissolved into hysterics.


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to these characters.

* * *

The group waited for Kagome to try to sneak back into the school for about an hour before they realized that they had been duped. And Kuroo was griping something fierce over not realizing the deception sooner. Grumbling to Bokuto about being out of practice in regards to her methods of vengeance as they climbed the stairs back to their rooms. In his defense though, she’s gotten even more devious than when they were kids—so he maintains that that and the panic over the picture that she now has was the reason for his oversight.

Akaashi merely raised a brow as he and Bokuto headed for their team’s room. “Whatever helps you sleep better, Kuroo.”

Kuroo groaned as he rubbed the back of his neck. Once he entered Nekoma’s room, he stopped as he noticed that his futon was no longer where he saw it last. Scanning around the room he discovered that his bed was now in the far corner and all the others were crammed together as far away from his as they could get without being on top of each other. Turning to Kenma, who was sitting up and playing on his phone, he frowned. “Really? I’m being banished?”

Kenma glanced up to look at his friend before returning to his game. “Souta informed us that it would be safer to stay away from you for a while. It was agreed that no one wanted to take any chances. Oh, and Souta said he would light some incense for you.”

Releasing another groan, Kuroo collapsed onto his bed. “I hope he lights about ten sticks. I’ll need all the help I can get.”

“Couldn’t catch her, huh?”

“She sent a text to the managers saying she was hiding outside, and to let her know when the coast was clear. We stalked the doors to the outside and stairs for about an hour before realizing that we’d been fooled.”

Kenma snorted quietly so not to disturb their sleeping teammates. “You actually fell for something like that? She was probably hiding in a nearby classroom.”

Kuroo cursed as he pulled the covers over himself and rolled onto his stomach. “Shut up and go to bed Kenma.” With that he shoved his head between his pillows and willed himself to sleep.

Snickering silently to himself, Kenma put it away his phone and laid down. He wondered what kind of horrors Kuroo and the others would endure tomorrow, or if Kagome’s need for payback had been sated.

* * *

The morning came far too soon for the ones who suffered ‘The Wrath of the Tiny Tyrant’s Revenge.’ Kuroo had thought to try to wake up early and catch his blue-eyed pixie before everyone woke up for breakfast, but he was too tired to move that soon. As the masses began to get up, he mustered up the will to drag himself out of bed. He was tired from last night, but mostly he dreaded what could possibly happen with the picture that Kagome now possessed. As he moved towards the cafeteria for breakfast, he ran into Akaashi and Bokuto along the way. The trio made the slow trek together and contemplated their fates.

“Did either of you get any sleep last night?”

“Some, after I found that I was banished to a corner of the room.”

“Huh?”

“Apparently, it was decided that precautions were needed.”

Bokuto blinked multiple times before snickering. Akaashi shook his head at the two. “Any ideas as to what we should be expecting?”

“Nope. Hopefully she just decides to hide that picture for an opportune moment.”

“You really think so?”

“Not really.”

The three boys heaved a sigh as they walked through the doors of the cafeteria, only to freeze. Right there where the menu was usually displayed on the wall above the counter, was a large picture. The image showed Fukunaga with Yamamoto holding his arm in the back frozen stiff, Ogano and Goura holding each other tight off to the side. In the center of the image, Bokuto had practically leapt onto Kuroo and wrapped around him, locking Kuroo’s arms to his sides. Akaashi and a few other players surrounded them with their arms half raised like they were ready to take off in a sprint. All the boys’ eyes were wide and white in terror, with their mouths open in a silent scream. Their hair was crazy on a good day, but in that instant, it looked like they stuck their fingers in an electrical socket. A terrifying moment, frozen and displayed for all to see, was the result of last nights counter-strike by the Tiny Tyrant, and the managers stood below the image with mischievous and smug grins on their delicate faces.

The trio hung their heads with a sigh and groaned in despair. “Damn it.”

“Hey Kuroo-kun? Do you think we can get rid of all the copies?”

“Not easily. We would have to find out who all she sent the picture to.”

“Shit.”

“Yup.”

Dragging themselves over to the girls, they excepted their food trays with as much dignity as they could muster with their faces flushed, before sitting down at a table. Keeping their eyes on their food they were a bit surprised when Kagome suddenly sat down with them.

“Morning boys! Did you all sleep well?”

Giving her a mock scowl, the trio merely grunted at her since their mouths were full. Kuroo swallowed quickly before pouting at her. “You know perfectly well that we didn’t, you little menace.”

Kagome looked up at him innocently as she tucked into her food. “What on earth are you talking about?”

Kuroo gave her a deadpanned look for her falsehood, before pointing at the rather large image. “That right there is one reason why we didn’t sleep well, given that we were looking for _you_ in order keep something like _that_ from happening.”

Looking at the picture in question, she snickered as she waved him off. “I didn’t have anything to do with the picture being displayed.” Kagome paused as she took in the skepticism and rolled her eyes as she returned to finishing her meal. “Honestly! I sent the picture out, yes. But Yukie said something about teaching someone to not steal her phone?”

With that, Kuroo and Akaashi slid their narrowed eyes in Bokuto’s direction. Glaring hard at the now wincing ace, they grumbled into their food. “Does this mean that we are even now? The guys banished me to a corner of the room out of fear of what else you could have up your sleeves.”

Kagome was silent as she finished the last of her breakfast, and stood up. Leaning over she slid her arms around Kuroo’s shoulders from behind, causing him to blush slightly. “Don’t worry Tetsu-kun. _No one_ is safe this week.” Giving him a kiss on the cheek, she grinned as she collected her tray and left a wave of fear in her wake. Poor boys thought that that picture was the only weapon in the girls’ arsenal? They would learn soon enough, and Kuroo would learn exactly what Kagome was working on that started this whole mess.

* * *

The rest of the training week was both fun and hell on the volleyball players. They enjoyed testing themselves against each other and figuring out where their weaknesses were. The penalty laps got a bit brutal, especially with the heat, thankfully Shinzen is generally cooler in the summer otherwise it would have felt much worse. Kuroo, Bokuto, and Akaashi commandeered Gymnasium 3 for their personal practice time—they even managed to pull Kagome in to practice with them as well when she wasn’t scheduled to cook dinner. Which, on those few nights, they didn’t stay very late practicing.

It was the mornings that the boys dreaded the most at first. Every morning they would enter the cafeteria to discover new pictures displayed for everyone to see. Pictures that showed the boys in various states of shock or fear before they were tagged by Higurashi-san’s ofudas. How those pictures existed was a bit of a conundrum. There were also pictures of the players from when they practiced in the sand pit. Then they learned that Kagome had gifted the managers with photo albums containing pictures of their teams’ experiences while training at Nekoma. And worse, she gave them flash drives with the pictures as well. Kuroo’s cries of “I knew she was up to something!” rang hollow as all the boys’ began to cringe over the thought of the mortifying images that would be shown.

However, once the shock and embarrassment over the pictures wore off, the boys began to laugh at themselves and their teammates. As long as the images were never exposed to anyone outside of the volleyball clubs, they could endure a little humiliation and teasing. Now they just had to be sure that they never pissed off their managers.

Sadly, and perhaps thankfully, camp came to an end. The players all managed to avoid angering their female members for a second time and remained safe for the most part. Though Fukurodani’s team kept a very close eye on their Ace for whatever reason. Kagome never did get a clear answer as to why—but she had her suspicions. Climbing into the bus with her team, she was escorted into a seat with Kuroo right behind her with Kenma claiming the seat next to them across the aisle. One by one, the players began to stretch out and nod off as the bus began its journey home. Kagome made a few more notes in her notebook as Kuroo wrapped an arm around her shoulders as he too heeded the sandman’s call. Finishing up her notes, Kagome carefully tucked her notebook back in the bag and pulled out a book to read while she curled into Kuroo’s side.

* * *

Kuroo wandered into his room after he waved goodbye to Kenma outside. The two boys had made a detour on their way home to escort Kagome to the shrine. He was exhausted from the long week of training, and he knew that things would only get more intense. Several times he saw Coach Nekomata, Coach Naoi, and Kagome huddled together, reviewing the notes that she had made in her notebook.

As he shivered at the thought of what could be heading the team’s way, he paused as he realized that something was amiss in his room. There was something different, but his tired brain couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was. Looking over his room carefully, his gaze stopped on his nightstand. Only this time it wasn’t the pictures of he and Kagome as children, and the picture of them after their first date that grabbed his attention. No, it was the new, third picture that he was focusing on—a copy of the very picture that he and the others chased after Kagome over. Groaning in misery, he tiredly dug out his phone and made a call as he flopped back on his bed.

“Tetsu-kun?”

“You sent a copy of that picture to my mother?” He could help but grin as her laughter drifted through the airwaves.

“Of course, I did. I had to be sure that a copy of the picture survived.”

Kuroo huffed into the phone as his free hand dragged over his face. His mother was the perfect person for that, because there was no way he would be able to find evidence to eliminate it. There might be a slim chance of success if he could get his father to help, but he probably found the whole situation hilarious and wanted a copy for himself. “It’s official, you’re not devious. You are evil.”

“Hey I’m a miko, I can’t be evil.”

“Lies! I can feel your grin over the phone. And here I thought I was supposed to be the devious one in this relationship!”

“It’s all a matter of self-defense, I can assure you.”

“Yeah, sure.”

She giggled on the other end of the line and he smiled as he looked over at the frames near his bed. They talked for a few more minutes, discussing their plans for their next date and his report, before wishing each other goodnight. All in all, it was a great summer training camp. He just hoped that the days to come followed the same trend—minus the revenge streak of course.


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to these characters.

* * *

Summer was in full swing at the Higurashi Shrine, and the humidity levels were borderline intolerable. Of course, with summer break and summer heat, comes summer coursework. Not wanting to risk forgetting or missing any assignments, Kuroo and Kenma found themselves with the Higurashi siblings at their kitchen table working their way through their homework. Once all assignments were completed, Kenma and Souta made themselves scarce and escaped to the world where dragons and other monsters were needing to be vanquished and quests to be completed.

Kuroo and Kagome on the other hand, migrated and holed themselves up in the family room going over the legend of the Shikon no Tama—declaring that he wanted to not only finish part two of his project, but get a jump start on the third and final section. A sound plan, given that free time was a precious commodity and practice with homework could make it difficult for him to find time to give the report the effort it required. As they slogged their way through the details of the lengthy tale, Kuroo kept frowning and scratching his cheek.

“What’s the matter, Tetsu-kun?”

“This just doesn’t make sense…”

“What doesn’t?”

He tilted his head in thought as he scanned the pages of the manuscript between them. “Well for one, I thought reincarnation took about a hundred years or more? I mean I know that the miko arrived 50 years after the passing of Kikyo, but she was 15 years old when she appeared right? That’s only 35 years. How could she be thought to be Kikyo’s reincarnation?”

Kagome winced slightly, of course he would notice that discrepancy. To her shame and embarrassment, _she_ never noticed that issue with the tale when her grandfather would tell it to her as a child. “Well she born with the Shikon no Tama in her hip. And there are hints in the tale that the miko was not originally from that time.”

“Ok, but why is there no name for her? Every other character in the legend has a name, but the Shikon no Miko has only her title. You would think an important figure in the story would have their name mentioned at least once.”

Feeling herself begin to sweat, Kagome mentally scrambled for a logical explanation. “Well, let’s say that the whole legend is true, and that the miko _was_ born in the future. You wouldn’t want anyone to know who she was and mess up the timeline would you?”

“Meh, I guess so… seems flimsy though.”

“Tetsu-kun? How often to myths and legends ever _really_ make sense?”

Kuroo snickered in agreement as he jotted down the last of his notes. Not long after, Kuroo and the gamer duo were ushered outside as the temperature decreased by the Higurashi matriarch. Kagome was commandeered to assist with getting lunch started and promised to catch up to the boys later.

The trio wandered off further into the grounds as Souta peppered the older boys with questions about their club. They had grabbed Souta’s soccer ball to use as a substitute volleyball. To Kenma’s dismay, he was roped into helping Kuroo teach Souta a few movies and techniques. As they went through the motions of showing Souta how to receive the ball and return it, Souta bumped the ball and it flew wildly of course. Kuroo retreated backwards quickly to try to continue the small rally, but his foot got caught and he began to fall. Twisting to catch himself, he hit the ground hard, and a blinding pain began to radiate from his arm.

“ _Kuroo!!_ ”

* * *

“Mama, I’ve finished preparing the vegetables. Do you need anything else?”

“No, I think that’s it. Go ahead and find the boys. I’ll call you all when lunch is ready.”

Giving her mother a quick hug in thanks, Kagome left the kitchen. As she headed for the door her phone began to ring in her pocket. Pulling out the device, she was frowned in confusion when she read Souta’s name on the caller ID.

“Souta, wha—?”

Her frown deepened as his panicked voice called out to her. “ _Kagome! Come quick! Kuroo’s hurt!_ ”

In that moment, she swore that her heart stopped and time slowed. Making a mad dash for the door and slipping on her shoes, she asked for details.

“ _He fell and tried to catch himself. But he landed wrong and hit a rock. I think he broke his arm_.”

“Stay put, I’m heading to you.” Disconnecting the call, she began to focus on their auras and ran off in their direction.

She had been thinking about how she could tell Kuroo the truth about the ‘training program’ that she was in last year. This however, was not how she envisioned it. She only hoped, that she didn’t lose him in the end—that would break her more than Inuyasha’s cruel words nearly did.

* * *

Kenma and Souta’s eyes widened in shock when Kuroo hit the ground and didn’t move right away.

“Kuroo! Are you all right?”

Kuroo released a grunt of pain and slowly rolled onto his back. The two boys darted over to him and checked him over. “My arm hurts. A lot.”

“Your bleeding, and that bruising doesn’t look good.”

Carefully they helped Kuroo sit up and lean against a nearby tree. Once Kuroo was settled, Kenma sat back and pulled out his phone.

“Kenma? What are you doing?”

“Calling for an ambulance.” Souta’s eyes widened and quickly snatched the phone from his hands. Kenma blinked in shock several times before turning his gaze to the younger boy. “Souta, give me my phone.”

Shaking his head Souta pulled out his own cell phone. “You guys have a tournament in a few weeks, right? If Kuroo broke his arm, there’s no way he’ll be able to play by then. We need nee-san.”

Kuroo and Kenma were confused as they watch Souta call his sister. Kenma shook his head at the craziness before trying to reason with the elementary student. “Souta! We need to be calling an ambulance.”

“I told you. If you want a chance at him playing in the tournament you have coming up, then that’s the _last_ thing we should do.”

“That makes no sense!”

Kuroo’s pained voice broke through their squabbling, “Guys, could you not right now?”

“Sorry, Kuroo.”

“Don’t worry, Kuroo. Nee-san will be here shortly, and you’ll be as good as new!”

Grimacing at the pain in his arm, Kuroo tried to give the younger boy a small grin. “Not sure how that’s currently possible, kiddo. Unless she’s coming to finish me off.”

“You’ll see.”

Before either teen could question him further, Kagome darted into the clearing and made a beeline for Kuroo.

“Tetsu-kun!” Gently she looked him over and touched his injured arm to judge whether his arm was truly broken. She whispered apologies for ever wince he gave, and Kenma shifted his weight as he sat to the side with Souta. “You definitely have a broken arm.”

“Kagome, we need to get Kuroo to the hospital.”

Kagome bit her lip and shook her head. “No, that won’t be necessary. Just—just try not to freak out, ok?”

Before they could question her further, she rested her hands just above Kuroo’s arm and closed her eyes. Just as Kenma was about to protest once more, he stopped. Both he and Kuroo were shocked when they noticed that Kagome’s hands began to glow in a soft pink light. She took a deep breath and released as she opened her eyes to reveal that they were glowing the same color as her hands.

“Kago-chan? Wha—?”

Kenma was in awe of what he was seeing. Kuroo eyes began to droop as his tensed form began to release and relax, and most amazing of all—the swelling and bruising on his arm began to disappear along with the cut. “What’s happening?”

Souta glanced up at the older boy, “She’s healing him. Nee-san isn’t just a miko in name you know.”

“This—this shouldn’t be possible.”

“Meh, it’s just not common. Even during the Feudal Era, being able to heal like this was a rare ability. Most just relied on healing with herbs, and their power was used for barriers or cleansing. Very few became warrior miko like Midoriko. At least that’s what grandpa said.”

* * *

Kuroo was wrapped in a feeling of warmth and peace as the light from Kagome hands covered him. And as that feeling began to retreat, he opened his eyes and looked into Kagome’s eyes to see the glow begin to fade as well. Glancing down he was stunned to see his arm was healed. He moved and flexed his arm to test whether or not his eyes were lying to him—that he was imagining that the damage was truly gone. There was no pain, he was a little sore but that was it. How?

“You should take it easy for the next day or so, Tetsu-kun. Your body may be physically healed, but your mind still remembers the injury. It’ll take a little bit for it to process that the bone is no longer broken. If you push it too far and too fast, you could stress your system.”

“Kago-chan? What?”

Releasing a heavy sigh, she looked at her friend and boyfriend. “Come on. This is a long story, and there are a few things in the house that I’ll need to tell it.” With that they helped Kuroo climb to his feet and the group made their way back.

As they all settled in the family room, Kagome disappeared up the stairs briefly and returned with a photo album. “When I said that I was in a training program last year…well that wasn’t exactly true. On my fifteenth birthday, Souta heard scratching coming from the well house and thought Buyo had gotten in. Being a little nervous to enter—and with the story’s grandpa would tell, you could hardly blame him—he asked me to go get him. When I entered, I couldn’t find Buyo anywhere, but I could still hear scratching sounds. When I turned to look at Souta, I was grabbed from behind by a youkai named Mistress Centipede. She pulled me down into the depths of the well demanding that I give her the jewel, that she could tell that I had it.”

“What jewel?

“The Shikon no Tama…” She paused and looked at Kuroo before she continued. “You asked why the miko’s name wasn’t a part of the legend. If it was, it would have been mine.” Opening the album that rested in her lap, she told the story of her travels. Showing the images of the people and beings that she had met.

* * *

Kagome wasn’t kidding when she said that the story was a long one, and he had a feeling that she didn’t tell them everything. Regardless, it was a lot to process. It was one thing to study the legend for a report, it was another to find out that your girlfriend _lived_ part of it. A large part of his mind wanted to shy away, and deny the story she told. Claim it as mere fiction or some elaborate prank. Oh! His mind was playing tricks on him because of the pain from breaking his arm. That was it—but, looking at his arm again, his arm was _healed_. There was no injury to be seen, all that remained was a dull ache and some dried blood as proof that the injury was there at one point.

Ok. So, her old sensei really was a demon lord. She had her soul ripped out and torn. Had a wolf prince that tried to claim her as his—so why was she dating him? Was it because of a promise between two kids and she felt obligated? It’s not like he really gave her a chance to say no with that first date. But did she accept the second because she’s just too nice to turn down an old childhood friend?

He isn’t sure what to think—Kenma of course is fascinated by all of this. Covering his face with his hands, he took a deep breath and tried to think…

“Tetsu-kun? Are you ok?” He could hear the caution in her voice. Like he was some child that was about to throw a fit. Maybe that’s how she saw him? A child that needed to be coddled?

Lifting his head, he looked into those cerulean blue eyes that he adored. He thought at he could see worry and concern, but did he really truly know her? He thought he did.

Kagome bit her lip and absently reached up to fiddle with the end of her braid. “Tetsu-kun, I _know_ that this is a lot to take in. If-if you need time… then I’ll understand.”

Sitting there with his brain spinning a mile a minute, he was grateful for the out she offered. He did need time. Giving her a nod, he reached out to her and his hand paused for a moment before covering one of her own. “Yeah, I need to think.”

With that he stood up, gathered his things and headed out the door. As he walked, he noticed that Kenma caught up to him. “Kuroo? What’s wrong?”

“I never really knew her, did I?”

“What do you mean? Of course, you know her.”

“She had this whole other life, and she never told me.”

“But she did tell you, she told us bits and pieces. It’s not like she could have just blurted out the whole story right at first.”

Kuroo sighed and watched his feet carry him home. He just didn’t know anything at the moment, not a damn thing.

* * *

Watching Kuroo walk out the front door was one of the hardest things she ever had to do. There was a part of her that screamed that she needed to chase him down and check to be sure that he didn’t hate her and demand that he not leave her. But the part of her that matured in the fires of the Feudal Era, knew that giving him time to process was the best thing she could do at this time. Begging and crying would get her nowhere.

“Nee-san? Are you ok?”

Looking over at her little brother, she gave a sad smile. “I will be, Souta. I will be.”

She could only hope that Kuroo would be ready to talk soon.

* * *

A few days had passed since Kagome’s revelation, and Kenma was concerned about Kuroo. According to Souta, Kagome had not heard from Kuroo since they left the shrine. Hell, Kuroo hadn’t bugged him about practicing. He actually got to have a day off from playing volleyball—the gym was currently being inspected, so no summer practice for a couple days.

Heaving a sigh, he knew that he needed to do something. Kagome was apparently retreating into her mind and her memories while throwing herself into her shrine duties. Souta reported that she did that a lot when she first returned from the past, but hadn’t done it in months. Kuroo had two days to think, now he had to check on him. It was a strange role reversal, to be the one to haul Kuroo outside for once. There was one other time, after they got thrashed in a tournament before high school, but that didn’t take near as much effort.

As they walked down various streets, Kuroo was quiet, still lost in his head. “What are you struggling with the most Kuroo?”

“… It just doesn’t seem real. Part of me doesn’t want it to be real. Cause if it’s real, then I wonder why she’s dating me?”

“What do you mean, why is she dating you? Why wouldn’t she?”

“She had princes after her, Kenma. Why would she want normal regular me?”

Kenma frowned and paused, causing Kuroo to stop and look back at him. “That has to be one of the stupidest things I’ve ever heard you say.”

“Wha-?”

“Ah, hello Kenma. Kuroo. How are the two of you today?”

Turning their heads to the voice they greeted the newcomer. “Hello, Nekomata-sensei.”

Their elderly coach smiled as he looked the two over carefully. “Guessing by the looks on your faces, and chat I recently had with Hiro… You found out about Kagome’s secret?” Taking their stunned silence as confirmation, he bid the duo to follow him. Together, they walked to Nekomata’s home, and he had them sit while he prepared some tea.

“It is quite the tale, and I’m sure that Kagome-chan probably didn’t get to tell all of it.”

Kenma looked at his taller friend briefly, “No, she didn’t go into a lot of detail. I remember when I first when to the shrine, she said that the shrine had been in the family for 500 years? Does that mean she met her ancestors?”

Nekomata hummed and leaned back, “Met, fought alongside, and saved them. The Higurashi line began with two members of her group. The taijiya, Sango, and the monk, Miroku. They married not long after the final battle, and took on the name Higurashi in honor of their friend. Named one of their daughters after her as well. The Nekomata line, started not too long afterwards.”

Both boys were completely focused on him as he drank his tea. “I’m sure Kagome told you some of the story of Sango, and her younger brother, Kohaku? As well as their nekomata companion, Kirara? Kohaku began the family name Nekomata, in honor of Kirara who stood with the taijiya for hundreds of years. About five years after the final battle, Kohaku asked Sesshoumaru-sama for permission to marry his ward, Rin.”

“So, your family is connected to Kagome’s old sensei?”

Nekomata chuckled as he thought about the old demon lord. “Yes. Sesshoumaru-sama is as fierce as he is cold. He’s softened a bit over the centuries. But word of the wise, never say that out loud. Kagome-chan is _probably_ the only one who could and live to tell the tale.”

Kuroo was shocked, “Her sensei is still around?”

“Of course! The old dog may be about a thousand years old now, but he’s still in his prime. He checks in on us from time to time. Mostly, he just stays in the Makai.” A soft mewl rang out in the quite room as a small feline with two tails and red eyes hopped into Kuroo’s lap.

“Ah, Kirara. There you are.”

Staring down at the nekomata in his lap, Kuroo couldn’t even try to deny his new reality any longer.

“Kuroo is worried that Kagome may be settling for him since he’s apparently boring compared to the life she lived last year.”

“Ke-Kenma!”

“Ah. Well you would have to talk with Kagome-chan about your concerns, Kuroo-kun.” Nekomata watched as the teen lowered his head gently petted Kirara’s soft fur while she purred softly. “Not many know, but there were other possible outcomes to the battle for the Shikon. She could have died, been trapped in the Shikon with Naraku for eternity, or… she could have been trapped in a relationship with Inuyasha as his second chance with ‘Kikyo’ in Kagome’s body.”

“It was her bond and friendship with you, Kuroo-kun, that gave her the strength to approach Sesshoumaru-sama and ask him to train her. When she returned, she had some difficulties that she will have to tell you about. But I can say, that this has been the happiest that the family has seen her since her return. She still has the maturity and wisdom that she gained from her experiences, but she’s remembering to be a teenager and have fun again. For that, my boy, you have my gratitude. She’s finally come home.”


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to these characters.

* * *

Kuroo has had a lot to think about in the past few days. The world was so much more complicated than he had known. His girlfriend was a real miko, she was pulled back in time, was trained by a demon lord, fought against demons, fought in a war, healed his broken arm in mere moments—Kami-sama he was starting to sound like a broken record with how often he went over all this information. He was about ready to punch himself just to knock his brain onto the next track.

Leaning back in his desk chair, he looked out his bedroom window and frowned. There were so many questions running through his mind. He knew he needed to see Kagome and sit down with her—but then he would have to ask her why the hell she was with him. Why him, when he was nothing compared to the males she had been around? And that was what he was terrified of, that the answer would be along the lines of him being an obligation or a placeholder.

“Never thought I would be this insecure about my relationship with Kago-chan.” He inhaled deeply and held it for a moment before releasing, then turned to the pictures on his night stand. Picking up the picture from their first date, he looked closely at the expression on Kagome’s face. It looked like she was happy at that moment with him.

Using his free hand, he rubbed his neck as he set the picture back down. “Just go and talk to her you dumbass…” He checked the time and headed out the door, there was a stop that he needed to make.

* * *

Kagome was feeling anxious. Today she and Kuroo were supposed to go out on a date, but she hadn’t heard from him since the big Feudal Era reveal. Granted, she never reached out to him to check to see if their date was still on. She was worried that he would say no, or worse, ignore her call. So here she was, stomach twisting with raw nerves and watching as the minutes slowly ticked by. Soon it was time, and still no Kuroo.

“He’s never been late before…”

She sat down on the bottom stair and just stared at her phone. Hoping that there would be a call or a message from him as the time became later, and later. Once he was officially fifteen minutes late, and still no word, she could feel the nerves in her stomach turn to lead. Chewing on her bottom lip, she took a deep breath as she mustered up the will to call the Rooster Head. Before she could pull up his number a knock rang out.

Kagome climbed to her feet and approached the door. She took a deep breath as she slowly pulled it open, hoping that it was Kuroo on the other side.

“Oh… Hello, Hojo-san…”

* * *

Kuroo was irritated and frustrated. He had a grand plan that he was going to pick up lunch for his and Kagome’s date, and that they would eat and talk more about the past and her experiences. However, the restaurant was obscenely busy and took longer to finish his order than expected. To top it off, his hands were full and he feared that if he tried to pull out his phone to let Kagome know that he was running late then all the food would spill out across the road. The best he could do was move as quickly as he could up the stairs while balancing his cargo.

Once he reached the top stair safely, he made his way to the main house only to hear, “Kagome-san, since your health has improved, it’s time that we went on a proper date.”

Kuroo released a groan as again, the universe seemed to be against him. “Ah hell. _Again_?” He shook his head as he walked up behind the babbling fool to see the frown on Kagome’s face. When she saw his towering form behind Hojo’s, her eyes began to light up in happiness and relief—making him feel even guiltier for being late.

“Hey, Kago-chan. Sorry I’m late. The restaurant was really busy today, and every street light was against me it seems.”

Hojo flinched and jumped at the voice that called out behind him. He spun around to face the 6 foot plus frame of his dream girl’s boyfriend.

“Oh, Hojo-san, right? I didn’t know you were stopping by. You know… if I didn’t know any better, I would think that you were stalking Kago-chan… or me. I’ll tell you right now, that I have no interest in you like that if it’s me that you are following. Pocket-sized-feral-kittens are more my speed.”

Kagome was about to snigger at the dumbfounded and horrified look on Hojo’s face until Kuroo called her short—again. “And here I was going to help you carry the food in, Tetsu-kun.”

“Ah, come on, Kago-chan! I’m lucky that I haven’t dropped anything yet.”

“You should have thought about that before calling me pocket sized. Now hurry up and get in here. I’m starving.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Kuroo strolled passed the stuttering teen and into the house. Grinning down at the miko, “You know, it’s kinda hot when you get all bossy.”

Kagome’s cheeks flushed as she rolled her eyes. After closing the door, she reached out to take some of the food out of Kuroo’s arms so he could slip out of his shoes, and headed for the kitchen. She began to prep the tea, and pull out some plates and other utensils that they would need. As she started to open up the take out boxes, she was stopped by a pair of arms that wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her back against a familiar chest and a head rested on top of hers.

“I really am sorry that I was late today.”

She smiled a bit as she relaxed into him and rested her hands on his forearms. “I was worried that you wouldn’t come… That you still needed time to think.”

Kuroo a heavy sigh, and hugged her a little tighter. “It’s still a lot to process, but I have some questions.”

Nodding, she patted his arms. “Let’s get our plates set and we can talk while we eat.”

“Sounds good to me.”

* * *

Kagome just sat down next to Kuroo after she finished cleaning their plates from lunch. The two had talked for about two hours, going over the adventure in more detail and answering all the questions that Kuroo had. She had hoped that she didn’t overwhelm him again when she saw him sitting with his elbows on his knees.

“Kago-chan? Why are you with me?”

Freezing in surprise, she then slowly turned her head to look at the slouched form next to her. “What?”

“Why are you dating me? I don’t have a title, nor any power. I’m nothing compared to the men who vied for your affections. So why are you with boring, normal, me?”

She was silent has she carefully processed the question he had asked. There was hesitation in his voice, like he wasn’t sure if he truly wanted to know the answer. She frowned and stood up from the couch before sitting on the table in front of him. Her hands reached out and cradled his face to guide him to look at her. “Tetsu-kun, if you think that you are ‘boring’ and ‘normal,’ then you _really_ need to have your head examined.”

His eyes widened in surprise as a self-depreciating smile crept across his handsome face. “I’m being serious here, Kago-chan.”

“And so am I. You must have taken too many volleyballs to the head. Now for why I was never interested in the others and chose you? Tetsu-kun, they may have ‘vied’ for my affections, but they were _never_ interested in _me_.” Kagome paused to gather her thoughts as his eyes narrowed in confusion.

“Inuyasha saw me as a piss-poor copy of Kikyo. Constantly he berated and belittled me for not rising to the exalted pedestal that she stood on. Then when she died again, I was seen as his only chance to be with her, like I would magically fall for him and forget _all_ the nasty things he had said to me.”

Kuroo had to grin a bit at how hard she rolled her eyes.

“Kouga, only saw me for my power. It was only _after_ he learned that I could see the shards that he declared his intent to claim me as his mate. Conveniently ignoring me every time I rejected his claim and informed him that I was _not_ his woman. In fact, I think I was merely a tool to be used to find the shards so he could gain more power, to needle Inuyasha, and to help him avoid the oath he made to another youkai in regards to mating her.”

“The others were along the lines of Kouga, and were only interested in the power that I held. Sesshoumaru only saw me as an ally and an annoying student. So, of all the ‘interest’ in me back in the Feudal Era, the only thing that they wanted me for was my power and the fact that I looked like Kikyo. Not a single one of them wanted _me_.”

Kagome took a deep breath and watched the gears in Kuroo’s brain turn as he absorbed what she just said. “Now as for you. You _never_ saw me as someone who is beneath you. Someone who wasn’t strong enough or good enough. Someone who needed to change or merely there to help you become stronger. I have never been a substitute in your eyes. I’ve always just been _me_. Whenever I struggle with something, you never talked down to me Tetsu-kun. You may tease me a bit, but you are always right there and willing to lend a hand if I need it. Do you know that I hadn’t really laughed or felt free of the burden of the past when I returned until I met you again?”

“Kami-sama, Tetsu-kun. There had been so many days before school started that I felt like an alien in my own skin because I didn’t know _how_ to connect with people outside of my family anymore. I had a hard time sleeping because of nightmares—still have them occasionally. But being with you and focusing on the team has really helped me move on. I’ll have days where it’ll all reemerge, I’m sure, but I don’t have to drown in it. I finally feel like it’s ok to be a teenager again, to have fun and relax. With you I feel _safe_. So, with all that. Why on earth would I _ever_ want to be with anyone other than you?”

Kuroo felt like he had been hit over the head with a bat as he listened to everything that Kagome revealed. Once again, it felt like his brain was on information overload. “Well, when you put it like that, I can see why you didn’t want any of those guys.” He took a breath before reaching out and pulling her petite frame onto his lap so she straddled him. Wrapping his arms around her, he rested his forehead against hers and just breathed with her. “I didn’t know that I was helping you.”

Kagome gave him a small, sad smile while she gently stroked his cheeks with her thumbs. “More than you could imagine. And that’s why you are so amazing, Tetsu-kun. You weren’t trying to be helpful—you just were. It’s one of the many reason’s why you could never be classified as normal or boring.”

Kuroo smiled and decided to try to lighten the atmosphere a bit. “Oh? Do tell. What are some of the other reasons?”

“Well you are stupidly tall. You have a crazy bedhead. You slouch around and ooze that scheming personality, so people suspect that you are essentially a delinquent. Only for them to discover later that you are ridiculously smart. And all that hides that softer, sensitive, and awkward side that I now know for certain is still alive and well from our childhood.”

He snorted lightly at her list, “I really need to do something about my hair… Will you help me?”

Kagome smiled and melded her lips with his and wrapped her arms around his neck. When she pulled away and looked into his dazed eyes, she shook her head. “Nope.”

“Wha—? Why not?”

“Three reasons. One, your hair has been like that for years and I’m sure it’s now a part of your DNA. Two, I’m honestly not sure if I would recognize you without it at this point. And three, I’m not sure if you realize this, but if the girls at school could see your entire face? Let’s just say that you would have more than just Kitori-san stalking you in the hallways.”

She watched as Kuroo’s cheeks flushed and he blinked rapidly before a sly grin crossed his face. “Aww, Kago-chan. Are you saying you would be jealous?”  
  


“No, jealousy would imply that I don’t trust you. I’m merely looking out for you and saving you the headache of having rabid fangirls chase you across town.”

He snickered at her as he hugged her closer, “Whatever you say, Kago-chan. Whatever you say.”

Kagome gave him a smug grin, “It’s true! Now, do you have any other questions? I think we covered just about everything. You didn’t ask much about Sango, Miroku, Rin, and Kohaku now that I think about it.”

“Hmm? Oh, Kenma and I ran into Coach Nekomata yesterday. He told us a little about them when discussing the family history…” He stopped when he saw the look of curiosity and confusion in her eyes. “You don’t know their connection?”

“No. What did he say?”

“He said that Kohaku took on the name Nekomata in honor of Kirara, and married Rin. Met Kirara at Nekomata-sensei’s house by the way, hard to believe that she transforms into a giant sabretooth—”

“Kirara is at Uncle Yasu’s?!”

“Yup, and apparently Sesshoumaru also checks in on the family every so often. Then Miroku and Sango got married and took on the Higurashi name in honor of you, starting the Higurashi line—Kago-chan?”

Kagome had paled a bit and buried her face in the crook of his neck. Kuroo became alarmed when he felt her body shiver and her hands clutch at his back. “Kagome? Are you alright?”

“You mean to tell me that I was groped and propositioned by my however many times _great_ _grandfather_?!”

The muffled yet highly miserable and queasy tone that she had nearly had him rolling as he cackled. “I guess so.”

“I hate my life…”

“Aww come on Kago-chan. It’s alright.”

“I need bleach for my brain.”

“…I could grope you to help you forget about it.”

“Keep your hands away from my butt!”

“But it’s such a cute butt, I can see why your great-great-great grandfather couldn’t help himself.”

“I will kill you…”

Kuroo laughed as he felt the weight of the past few days melt away and a sense of security set in. Their relationship was stronger than ever. While her past may create some challenges here and there, they would face them together.


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to these characters.

* * *

The days flew by and summer break was officially over. Classes in Nekoma High were back in full swing, much to the misery of some of its students—especially for those who didn’t complete their summer coursework. So, while some scrambled to finish various assignments, and projects, the volleyball team began to prepare for the tournament that was rapidly approaching. Coaches Nekomata and Naoi were pleased with the team’s progress and growth. All of their determination and strength were thrown into every practice with gusto—well, not as much on Kenma’s part, but at least he completed the workouts with a groan.

Kuroo grinned as he thought about everything that had happened since the beginning of the school year. Especially the past week. Kagome was in full mother hen mode and she watched the team like a hawk to make sure none of the members pushed themselves too far. Yamamoto nearly drove himself to illness at one point and the terror that Kagome inflicted upon him made Kuroo both sweat in fear and cackle in gleeful hysteria.

The resident Tiny Tyrant saw the signs of Yamamoto stressing his system, and when he didn’t listen to her warnings—kept going on about ‘guts’ or whatever—she came the next day fully prepared. When Kagome entered the gym, she took one look at Yamamoto’s wane appearance and walked over to him with a thermos.

“Yamamoto, sit down before you fall down.”

“Wha—?”

Staring him down until he complied, she poured out some tea and handed it to the Ace. “Drink all of that, then you can join the others.”

“What is it?”

“Something to help boost your immune system.”

He gave her a look and a shrug before tossing the liquid in his mouth. As the taste of the concoction hit his tongue, he froze and his eyes began to water. Before he could attempt to spit out the vile fluid a small hand slapped over his lips preventing the action.

“Sorry, but you’re going to have to swallow that Yamamoto-kun.”

Managing to make a strangled pathetic sound without choking, he reluctantly complied with the order. Once she was sure that all of the tea was ingested, Kagome removed her hand with a nod. Yamamoto immediately began coughing and hacking at the horrendous taste in his mouth and looked as if he wanted to either rip out his own tongue or eat dirt to escape it as the rest of the team watched in horror.

“What was that?! Poison?!”

Kagome snorted in amusement as she twisted the lid of the thermos back on and glanced at the clock. “Of course not. It’s just a few herbs mixed in the proper proportions. You’ll have to have another cup in about an hour.”

“ _ANOTHER_?!”

“Yes. Maybe next time when you’re told not to overdo it, you’ll actually _listen_.”

When the time came for the Ace’s next dose, he ran for Kuroo and managed to trip over his own feet in his desperation. Scrambling on his hands and knees, he dove across the remaining distance and grabbed onto Kuroo’s legs.

“Kuroo-san! Save me!”

Kuroo looked down at the panicky first year and shook his head. “Why? So, she can shove that shit down _my_ throat in retaliation? No thanks, I choose life. You’re on your own with this one, Yamamoto.”

Suddenly there was a hand that wrapped around Yamamoto’s ankle and dragged him away from Kuroo and across the gym.

“ _Noooooooo_!!!”

Snickering at the poor soul’s misfortune, the team resumed their practice to the sounds of their Ace gagging and sputtering. They made sure to make a mental note that if Kagome ever tells them that they are pushing too hard, then they should listen. The last thing that they wanted was to have to drink whatever she was force feeding Yamamoto.

* * *

It was the night before the tournament, and the boys were anxious. They were fully confident that they would surpass the third years in terms of performance, but Tokyo had a lot of really strong teams. So, there was that little concern. And more than anything, they really wanted to make it to Nationals—all right, they were nervous and confident. A bizarre combination that Kagome could fully empathize with. She had gone through the same rollercoaster of feelings herself when the time for the final battle arrived. Shaking her head briefly, she straightened her shoulders and approached the herd of twitchy cats. Distracting them was part of her duties as manager, and she was going to do her absolute best to take their minds off of the looming event.

“You know, if you all have this much extra energy… we could put it to use with a few extra rounds of the stair master.”

All the boys froze and paled as they slowly turned their heads to look at her. It took everything she had to hold in her laughter at the shear panic and horror that their eyes held before she was bombarded with a cacophony of voices.

“We’re fine!”

“No need for that!”

“We’re actually really, really tired!”

“Yeah, and look at the time! Practice is over!”

“Clean up and go home everyone!”

Giving them all a placating smile and nod, Kagome gathered up the water bottles and left to get them cleaned. As soon as she was out of the gym, she wrapped her arms around her waist and allowed the snickers that she withholding to escape. As she began to calm down, she gathered up her cargo once more and continued on with her chore. “Ah, that never gets old.”

* * *

This was it. Today was the day. The tournament had finally arrived and Nekoma was ready to rise from the ashes of what they once were, and reclaim their place as a strong team to be wary of. As they won their first match in consecutive sets, they could feel the nervous jitters begin to slide away. Then came the second round, with similar results—allowing them to surpass their predecessors and move on to the second day of the tournament. The boys nearly leapt for joy, and their small yet vocal cheering section was over the moon for them.

“Hey, Yamamoto. Is that Akane-chan with a megaphone?”

The slightly embarrassed Ace sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck and nodded. “Yeah, but I’m not sure where she got that from.”

Kenma smirked a bit as he focused on his bag while he finished packing his belongings. “Kagome gave it to her before she headed to the bleachers after wishing us good-luck. Something about now we would be able to hear her cheers.”

The boys grinned at each other as they headed home, day two was going to be a challenge and they could use all the motivation that they could get. Though some of the boys teasingly griped that if they had a cute girlfriend like a certain scheming captain, then they would have all the motivation one could need. Oh well, too late to worry about that tidbit now.

When the second day began, they team was feeling confident. Their next opponents weren’t a weak school by any means, but they weren’t particularly powerful either. As long as they did as Coach Nekomata taught them—just keep that ball in the air—then they would win this match like they did the others. And as their match progressed, it went very much like how they predicted. By refusing to allow the ball to hit the ground, they wore down and discouraged their opponents to the point that they became desperate to score. That desperation then led to critical errors, and allowed them to claim another victory to their name.

Kagome couldn’t have been prouder of the team. They were calm and focused on the match which gave them all the time in the world to strategize and attack. Kenma was living up to his new title as the ‘brain’ of the team beautifully—though the boy was mortified when he learned of the new pre-game ritual that Kuroo came up with. Kagome giggled as she remembered when Kuroo told her about it.

_“Hey Kago-chan!”_

_“Hmm?”_

_“I was thinking that we need a team motto, or phrase. You know, to get the team pumped before a game.”_

_“That would be good. What did you have in mind?”_

_“I came up with, ‘We are blood. Never stop flowing. Keep moving. Keep bringing oxygen, so that our brain can keep thinking.’”_

_Kagome blinked at him rapidly before laughing. “You are such a science nerd, Tetsu-kun. Kenma will_ hate _that, and you know it.”_

_Kuroo gave her a smug grin, “I don’t know_ what _you are talking about.”_

She was fairly certain that the only reason Kenma didn’t set Kuroo up with a flop of a spike in retaliation was because as much as he tried to hide it, he could be far more competitive than most on the team. He may not care overall about the outcome, but he didn’t care for allowing his opponents to have an easy win either.

Which was good, because their next opponents would not be easy for them to face. This team while not top school, it was in the top four in the prefecture. And within the first ten minutes, it became apparent that this game would be a struggle for Nekoma. The boys were able to consistently receive the ball and keep it from hitting the floor for the most part, but unlike previous teams, their current opponent did not allow frustration to cloud their judgement. The rallies became longer and more arduous as the game progressed into the second set, making Nekoma forever grateful for the intense training that their Tiny Tyrant had put them through.

Soon the game reached the third set with their opponents starting to pull away from them. Kagome felt like she was on the verge of chewing off her nails as she watched the game. Frantically she scribbled notes on how the team was performing and where their weaknesses were, while trying to not get too lost in just watching them play. Just as it seemed that Nekoma was beginning to claw their way closer to the top, it was match point for the opposing team. Feeling practically sick to her stomach, Kagome chewed on her lip and tried to will her boys to stave off the potentially killer blow that was about to be sent their way. Then, just like that, the game was over—Nekoma would go no further in this tournament.

Heartbroken for her boys, she watched as they held their heads high and struggled to hold in their disappointment as they thanked everyone for cheering for them. Kagome quickly began to gather up the water bottles and towels, and the others grabbed their bags and gear to clear the way for the next matches. As they moved into the hallway to collect themselves before they needed to head back to school, Kagome noticed that Kuroo wandered off by himself. Slowly she approached him from behind and rested her hand on his back.

“Tetsu-kun?” She watched his shoulders moved as he sighed. “Hey—are you ok?”

“I really wanted us to make it to Nationals…”

With a sad smile she ducked under his arm to stand between him and the wall to look up into his eyes as she cupped his face. “I know you did. But just because it didn’t happen this time, doesn’t mean you’ll never make it there. The fact that you all worked so hard and made it to the top eight in this tournament is great. You made that team _earn_ that victory. And in doing so, you put all the other teams on notice that Nekoma isn’t a team to take lightly.”

“I know. I know. It’s still disappointing.”

“If you _weren’t_ disappointed, then I would be very concerned about you. We’ll take this as a learning opportunity, and work on the areas that we need to. That way we’ll be better prepared in time for the Spring Tournament.”

Kuroo groaned and dropped his head on her shoulder. “What misery are you cooking up for us now you menace?”

Kagome laughed gently and stroked his hair. “Nothing right now. You all deserve a small break to recover. The new conditioning will be added in a few days. And Uncle Yasu and Coach Naoi are thinking up additional drills.”

“Well if it helps us get to Nationals, I guess we can’t whine too much, can we?”

“Hey. There is no ‘if’ in this, Tetsu-kun. You’ll get to play in the Nationals, I know it. Now come on, we need to load up.” Tugging him down the hallway towards the rest of the team, she was brought to a halt when he suddenly stopped.

“Kago-chan? Thanks.”

“For what?”

“For being here, and being you.”

Kagome squeezed his hand and smiled before continuing to guide him towards their destination. “You may want to save the thanks until after you learn what changes to the training you’ll have.”

Kuroo dropped his head back and released a loud groan of despair.


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to these characters.

* * *

The days following the tournament were a bit strange for the team. There were no new tortures created for them to suffer through, and the school population was beginning to remember that they _had_ a volleyball team. It was odd and felt like the calm before the storm—at least Kenma was fairly certain that it was. Sitting behind Kagome in class gave him the opportunity to observe her and he was positive that he could see the gears turning in her brain. And not simply because of the math quiz that was coming up.

He really wasn’t sure if he wanted to know _what_ she was focusing so hard on, but the curiosity was eating away at him. “Kagome? Are you all right?”

Kagome looked over her shoulder at him and blinked before turning in her chair. “Hm? Oh, I was just thinking about how we can help the team improve.” She chuckled as Kenma winced. “In fact, there’s something that I wanted to discuss with you Kenma.”

Paling a bit, he cautiously looked up at her. “Yes?”

“Well, we are going to make some adjustments to the team’s conditioning and practice. But there’s something that I’m contemplating for just you—”

“No.”

“You haven’t even heard me out yet!”

“Whatever torture you are cooking up for me, I want nothing to do with it.”

Kagome smirked at his protests. “Honestly, you act like you have much of a choice in this.”

Kenma groaned and rested his head on his desk with a thud. “What is it?”

She giggled at his muffled tone before lightly patting his head. “Don’t worry, I’m not talking about increasing your physical training beyond what everyone else is going to be doing. I was just thinking about the last match that you guys had…”

Kenma lifted his head slightly and raised a brow. “What about it?”

“Well, I’m sure you noticed the not-so-effective strategy that they had attempted during the game?”

“The whole ‘try to target me and break me down’ strategy?”

“Yes.”

“Yeah. Not the first ones to try that.”

“One day we’re going to be up against a team that will actually have the skills to pull off a scheme like that.”

“True, your point?”

“My point is, is that you have a great strategic and analytic mind, Kenma. And I think we need to build on that.”

Kenma stared at the top of his desk for a moment before looking back up at her. “You want to work on coming up with various plans and tactics. That’s a good idea, but when do you want to sit down and work on them?”

“That’s just it, I’m not the one that can help you with this. I may have been briefly trained by a tactical mastermind, but Maru-sensei wasn’t able to teach me much beyond the whole ‘never show your full hand’ tactic.”

“Then what do you suggest?”

“Well… there is _one_ person that we know… who is crafty enough to outmaneuver four teams repeatedly…”

Kenma looked at her in confusion and racked his brain to think of the one she was alluding to. Then as he thought about and eliminated people from his suspect list, he froze and his eyes widened. “Oh.”

“Yup.”

* * *

The bell announcing that it was time for lunch rang out, causing all the students to pack away their books and dig out their bentos. Kenma and Kagome glanced at each other in confusion when a certain bed headed giant didn’t immediately appear in the doorway of their class to collect them.

“You don’t think Kitori-san is trying to confess to him again, do you?”

Kenma cocked his head to the side as he did the math as to how long it had been since her last attempt. “Hmm. It is about that time again.”

Kagome snorted in disbelief as the two stood to go save their taller companion. “It’s nice to see that I’m not the only one with an oblivious stalker. Probably the only reason why he hasn’t teased me about Hojo-san.”

Sharing a grin with the shorter girl, they walked down the hall only to freeze in shock. Kuroo was standing ahead of them looking uncomfortable and surrounded by a group of girls with hearts all around them calling for his attention.

“What on earth?”

“He has a fan club?”

“Since when?”

Kenma frowned in thought and remembered some of the others on the team mentioning that they were starting to get more attention from the girls in their classes recently. “I think just recently. Some of the others mentioned that after the tournament that they’ve been getting noticed more.”

“Really? How about you?”

“I’m always with you and Kuroo. Plus, I’m good at hiding.”

“True. So, I’m a deterrent, huh?”

“Kagome, everyone in our class knows better than to upset you.”

“Wha—?”

“They’ve seen your reactions to Kuroo when he irritates you. And Tora has a big mouth.”

“Talked some about the summer camp?”

“Not a lot of detail. Yaku-san elaborated after Tora commented on his height, much to Tora and Kuroo’s dismay.”

“You would think with a nickname like ‘demon-senpai’ that the others would know better than to mention his height.”

“They know better now.”

“True. Well, should we save our _damsel_ from his _adoring_ fans?”

Kenma’s eyes widened as he let out a surprised snort. “If we don’t, he might jump out of the window. I’ll leave you to rescue him. Also, please call him that once he’s been freed. I would like to see his face when you do.”

Kagome smiled, handed her bento to Kenma to hold for her, “I do adore that mean streak of yours, Kenma.” Then she headed into the small crowd with the grace of a conquering hero. “Tetsu-kun! There you are. Come on, the others are waiting for us.”

Kuroo’s head snapped to her and he breathed a sigh of relief. Tiny Tyrant to the rescue. As he attempted to extract himself from the love-struck group that refused to leave him alone, the girls began to glare at his petite girlfriend. “Who are you to be so familiar with Kuroo-kun?”

Kagome raised a brow and slightly rolled her eyes before plastering a smile upon her delicate face. “For one, I am the manager of the volleyball team. Two, and most importantly, I’m this Rooster Head’s girlfriend. We all appreciate your support of the _team_ , and hope that you will bring that enthusiasm to our next game. Now, if you’ll excuse us, my boyfriend and I are expected to have lunch with our group.”

Kuroo cackled at the stumped looks on the faces that surrounded him. Taking advantage of the freeze that descended upon the girls, he escaped the group and threw his arms around his savior. Leaning down he softly kissed the serenely amused face in front of him. “Kago-chan! The love of my life! You know you’re more than my girlfriend, you’re my fiancé!”

“Ah yes, how foolish of me to forget. But then again, you only asked when we were children. I fully expect a proper proposal now that we’re older.”

“What? Again?!”

“Hmm. You know you might be right. Seven-year-old you was much smoother than you are now. Best to leave the proposal as is.”

“Oi!”

After a brief pause, the pair broke into quiet snickers at their banter and the heartbroken girls as they turned and walked over to where Kenma was waiting with a small grin on his face. “Is this going to be a new thing, Kuroo?”

“Kami-sama, I hope not!”

Kagome smiled as she reclaimed the bento that she made for herself and Kuroo. “This is why I told you that I won’t help you with your hair.”

“But I have a fan club now, so that takes away from part of your argument. So, you’ll help me now right?”

“No, the rest of my reasons still remain. Plus, if they could see your face, then they would hound you even worse.”

Kuroo shuddered and groaned in fear at that thought as he tucked her smaller form against his side. “I take it back. I don’t want to do anything about my hair.”

Kenma and Kagome snickered as they all headed outside to meet the rest of the team.

“Good, because I like it as it is. Crazy and all.”

Kuroo blushed slightly and hugged her tighter against his side.

Kenma then broke through the comfortable bubble that enshrouded the blissful couple. “You two are seriously nauseating. I’m not sure if I’m going to get cavities or lose my appetite.”

“Oi!”

* * *

As the boys finished up their stair master and returned to the gym for the rest of practice, they were surprised when Coach Nekomata called Kagome to join Kenma’s team. Granted they knew that Kagome was a decent player—only Kenma and Kuroo really had a clue as to what she could do—but she had never played in a practice match with them before.

Kagome raised a brow slightly in her uncle’s direction as he looked at her a nodded. It seemed that it was time to increase the intensity. Glancing at Kenma, Yamamoto, Yaku and the others, she smiled. “Just going to say sorry now for not being very good at receiving. I’m still only passable at this point.”

The boys smiled in response and assured her that it would be fine, while the opposing team with Kuroo grinned and began to plan their strategy. Kuroo’s team—aka the red team—figured that Kagome would be the weakest link and the best one to target for their spikes. He did warn them that while her receives needed work, her spikes were pretty on point.

Kenma was well aware of how Kuroo’s team would attempt to strategize and began to plan accordingly. “They’re going to aim for Kagome when they attack.” Kagome released a huff over that, but she didn’t disagree.

“We’ll have her back.” Yaku smirked in confidence as Yamamoto smiled in agreement. Kagome gave the boys a big smile in thanks for their support.

Kenma nodded and looked at the floor while addressing the group. “We’ll need to utilize our receives, then we can use Kagome to help sharpen our attack angle with Tora. Kuroo is aware of some of her moves, but the others will be unprepared.” He turned to glance at Kagome in the corner of his eye, “I’m assuming you are still adhering to the rule of never showing your full hand?” The innocent smile that he received was all the confirmation that he needed.

As the players got into position, and Coach Naoi got ready to oversee the match, Coach Nekomata got comfortable on the sidelines to observe the game. The game was interesting for Nekomata to watch as it progressed. Each team seemed to have their own strategies that they were using. Kuroo and his team were focusing on Kagome and her weak receives. Kenma’s team were supporting her as best that they could. What was fascinating was that Kagome was hiding her skills to the point that Kuroo was becoming anxious, he kept glancing her way and frowning between plays.

Then Kenma made his move and tossed the ball high, Kagome ran in to spike. The height that she reached with her jump surprised the others and froze them momentarily—just the right amount of hesitation that enabled her to score. One potential weakness exposed and currently being worked on. Can’t have the boys freeze in shock every time that they’re surprised by something. But of course, that’s not the only weakness that they will be working on today. Nekomata watched as the boys adjusted to the surprise of Kagome’s jumping ability, and then once they were comfortable, the game shifted once more.

Kagome was waiting patiently. When she saw the shock of her move, she knew it was best to hold off on the main focus of the training that her uncle and Naoi had discussed. Too many surprises in practice could cause problems, and the last thing they needed was someone possibly getting hurt. Not really an outcome one would want for a practice match. So, here she was biding her time and watched the boys become comfortable. Thankfully, it didn’t take them too long to adapt—otherwise she would have other concerns about their mental state. Grinning to herself as she rotated back to the front row and got ready to initiate phase two. Now just had to remember that the target was the ground, the players were the obstacles, and the ball was her weapon.

* * *

Nekomata watched with some sadness as Kagome seemed to retreat a bit into herself as she prepared and watched as Kenma set the ball up high for her. She closed her eyes, took a breath before opening them and going on the attack. It was when she opened her eyes that the essence of the game changed. Her eyes were blank and intense, and when she spiked the ball, they narrowed with a lethal intensity that froze the opposing side of the net—even her own side to an extent.

They learned that there was hesitation during the tournament that needed to be ironed out. Every player had the ability to give off an aura, or presence, or pressure—call it what you will, it forced others to take notice. And some were stronger than others—especially Aces who are incredibly talented and confident. It was that notice, however, that could cause the opposing team to hesitate or make mistakes. The more the boys were used to being on the receiving end of that pressure, the easier it would be to shake it off and focus.

Now many can’t create this on a whim, sometimes it’s merely the thrill of the game that calls it out. And not everyone was trained to purposely project it as a survival tactic. Kagome, sadly was trained in this, and by a master—though her ability was different than anything that the boys would face on the court. Her pressure was that of danger and killing intent—forged by the need to survive a war-torn era that had no mercy or sympathy for untrained school girls.

Nekomata’s soul raged and cursed the fates that his sweet and innocent little Kagome was forced to learn such a technique. That she was forced to have to take the life-threatening chance in approaching one of the deadliest daiyokai for training and forge herself into a weapon to survive. He may have all the respect in the world for Sesshoumaru-sama, but there’s no denying that in those days, he would have sooner killed an untrained miko than train her. Why the old dog didn’t follow through with his usual reaction was a mystery that he wasn’t sure that even Sesshoumaru-sama knew the answer to—not that he would ever admit that.

Taking a deep breath, he refocused on the now—because nothing could be done about the past. And dwelling on it would not erase that experience for Kagome, no matter how much he wished that he could. Looking to the court he could see that when Kagome released that pressure, the dynamics changed. The side of the net that she focused on froze in panic. Every instinct would be screaming at them that a predator was in the vicinity. That they were mere house cats in the presence of a tiger. Nekomata had to chuckle a bit at the smile on her face after her feet touched the ground and her aura retreated back into her body.

Seeing the shaken looks, he knew then that he would need to pass on some coachlike wisdom so that they could refocus. “Get used to feeling that sort of pressure. You will need to be able to ignore it the next time you are in an official match.” The team all looked at him with nervous curiosity. “In the tournament, there were several times that mistakes were made because the opposing players expanded immense pressure that threw you off. Most of that was due to a lack of experience. Kagome-chan has the ability to activate that intensity at will, and therefore help you all become used to it before the next tournament. We’ll have her switch teams every set so all sides will have the opportunity to be fully exposed.”

Coach Naoi readied the boys to continue the set after they had released some nervous chuckles at Nekomata-sensei’s announcement. He was surprised when his old mentor suggested having Kagome step in and play with the team so that she could put pressure on them so they could adapt. He himself rarely got to be on the receiving end of that ‘battle’ intensity during a match during his high school days. But he knew for certain, that he never wanted to be her opponent after what he felt from just the sidelines.

The next practice sessions were definitely going to be interesting.


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to these characters.

* * *

The air surrounding the shrine was serene as birds flew about singing their songs as they darted through the trees and their branches. Some were perched in nearby trees as they were drawn into watching the intensity of the two battling figures below. It was an age-old battle of epic proportions—young verses old.

Kenma’s eyes narrowed as he focused on the board before him. This time he was certain to win—he had practiced and planned out every possible move. Now he was ready to place it into action and his opponent and teacher was falling nicely into his trap. Allowing the small smirk to creep across his face, he placed his piece down on the board with victory within his grasp.

The elderly figure across from him frowned deeply as he scanned the board for his options. Raising his hand, he dropped his responding piece and then grinned evilly at his younger opponent. “Better luck next time, Kenma-kun.”

Stumped, Kenma stared at the board in disbelief before slowly tilting his head up to look at Higurashi-san. His mind rapidly replayed the game over—desperately trying to pinpoint where he went wrong, and then it hit him like lightning. “I thought I was guiding the pace of the game, but you were leading me this whole time.”

Grandpa grinned and chuckled. “You had a good strategy, no doubt about that. But you were a little obvious in your tactics. Subtlety is key.”

“A plan within a plan…”

Nodding gently, the elder studied the teenager before him. “Sometimes, the best strategy is to have a _loud_ plan to hide the _quiet_ one. Take for example your team. Yamamoto-kun is your Ace, that makes him an immediate target. Others like Kuroo, Kai, and Fukunaga’s attacks can be more discrete. Depending how you use them in a match could cause an imbalance for the opposing team.”

Kenma tilted his head in thought as he contemplated his teammates and their skills. “Kagome never shows her full hand when she practices with us. She’s consistent at keeping the team uneasy.”

“Yes, an adept strategy that works very well. The less your enemies see, the less they can prepare for.”

“Let them see what we want them to see. Then throw in a surprise move to throw them off center.” Kenma blinked rapidly as all the lessons Grandpa Higurashi taught him began to fall into place. “You’ve been leading people around and allowing them to believe one thing about you so you can blindside them later on—your commitment to your strategy is both impressive, and terrifying.”

Grandpa grinned evilly as he released the gleeful cackles, causing all the birds to squawk in terror and flee the area.

* * *

This was it. Today was the day. All the near tears of frustration and disappointment, the endless rounds of practice—which Souta and Kirara seemed to enjoy their roles as taste tester, and boy was she ever grateful for that. Regardless! _Today_ was _the day_ that it all _had_ to come together perfectly. She was absolutely determined that she would cook this dish and it would be her best attempt yet!

Kenma had left earlier after training with Grandpa, and her little family took off to spend the weekend with relatives. So, Momma wasn’t here to save her if things go south—a terrifying thought, but Momma said that she was ready to cook this dish so she would have faith. Kagome took a deep breath to center herself, and with a nod she rolled up her sleeves and got to work. This fish would be exceptional, it had to be, because it was Kuroo’s birthday.

She carefully went through all the steps to prepare and grill the salted mackerel pike. Keeping an ear out for the timers for the rice and vegetables as she watched the main dish like a hawk. The last thing she needed was to burn all the side dishes because she only paid attention to the fish!

Slowly pulling all the food off the burners and forming the plates, she just finished setting the table as a knock echoed through the house. With a quick last second scan, she rushed off to the door and swung it open to greet the birthday boy in question.

“Tetsu-kun! Happy Birthday!”

The newly minted 17-year-old grinned as he looked down at his petite other half. “Thanks, Kago-chan.”

Stepping aside, she ushered him into the house and guided him to the table. Kagome was incredibly pleased with herself as she watched him freeze and stare at the spread in awe—in fact she’s pretty sure that he started drooling. “Sit down, or the fish will get cold.”

Kuroo snapped out of his daze and quickly helped Kagome get seated before he dashed to his own and dove into the meal with glee. Kagome giggled as she observed him enjoying his birthday meal with relish. “Should I leave you and your dinner alone?”

His head lifted at her snickers and she nearly choked at the picture he made. His eyes were wide and sparkly with part of a fish hanging out of his mouth. He quickly chewed and swallowed his food before morphing his face into a solemn expression. “You may need to. We’ve formed a deep connection. I’m even thinking of proposing to it.”

Struggling to keep her face straight, Kagome nodded in mock acceptance. “I understand. It hurts to lose you, but who am I to stand in the way of true love?” After a moment of silence, she wasn’t sure if who lost their composure first—chances were high that it was her restrained snickers that escaped first causing Kuroo to follow and there was nothing but boisterous laughter that followed. Whipping the tears from her eyes, she took a breath in an attempt to regain some composure. “I take it that you approve of the fish?”

“This is the best ever, Kago-chan. Thank you!”

Kagome smiled softly as her cheeks flushed. “I’m glad you like it. I have to admit that I practiced a _lot_ to get it right.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah, I wanted to make you your favorite dish for your birthday.”

Kuroo’s eyes softened as he looked across the table at her. “I appreciate it.”

Feeling a bit flustered, Kagome glanced down and brushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “You know, you should also thank Kirara and Souta for being my taste testers.”

“I will—wait, you had Kirara be a taste tester?”

“Of course! Being a nekomata, she is a _supreme_ fish specialist.”

Kuroo tilted his head in thought before nodding. “Good point. She would be the perfect judge.”

“I also knew I was on the right track when she stole some of Souta’s fish after she finished hers.”

They continued to laugh and talk as they finished their meal. Afterwards they worked together to clean the dishes. Kagome shooed Kuroo out of the kitchen as she finished drying the last plate. Joining Kuroo in the family room she smiled as he picked out a movie for them to watch. As she sat down, she handed him a small wrapped box.

Kuroo’s grin widened as he opened the present to find a leather corded necklace with a single volleyball charm. Looking closely, he noticed on the back that there were engravings.

Kagome leaned into his side and rested her head on his shoulder. “Think of it as a good luck and protection charm. I may not be able to be _on_ the court with you per se, but I can be there with in every way I can.”

Feeling that all too familiar warmth spreading in his chest, he thanked her as he placed it around his neck. Kuroo wrapped an arm around her and kissed her as they snuggled into the couch to watch the adventure film that he picked. “You think it will protect me from the fan girls?”

Kagome snickered and patted him lightly on his chest. “That would require a much larger charm, and it wouldn’t go with your style.”

“Drat. I guess I’ll just have to keep you tied to my hip.”

“Well, Kenma did mention that I make for a great deterrent.”

“So, it’s settled!”

“I get the feeling I didn’t have much of a choice regardless.”

“Nope.”

“Figures. The things I do for you.”

“Shhh! Watch the movie, pocket-chan.”

The two settled into a comfortable silence—then Kuroo released a yelp after Kagome pinched his side. Birthday boy or not, he doesn’t get a free pass for poking fun at her size.

* * *

Author’s Note: Sorry this took so long. My brain would not engage when I sat down to write this. Here’s to hoping that the next chapter won’t run into the same problem.


End file.
